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DEWOLF    HOPPER 
in  "  The  Charlatan." 


Copyright,  igoo 
By  L.  C.  Page  &  Company 

(incorporated) 


All  rights  reserved 


Third  Impression,  June,  1907 


COLONIAL   PRESS 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H .  Simonds  <5r»  Co. 

Boston,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTKR 

PAGH 

I. 

Introductory         .        .        .        . 

II 

II. 

Francis  Wilson     .        .        .        . 

i8 

III. 

James  T.  Powers   .        .        .        . 

44 

IV. 

Walter  Jones 

54 

V. 

DeWolf  Hopper    . 

63 

VI. 

Richard  Golden    . 

91 

VII. 

Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Delinea- 

tors        

102 

VIII. 

Thomas  Q.  Seabrooke  . 

118 

IX. 

Frank  Daniels 

141 

X. 

Jerome  Sykes 

154 

XI. 

Dan  Daly        .... 

168 

XII. 

Henry  Clay  Barnabee 

176 

XIII. 

Henry  E.   Dixey    . 

.     189 

XIV. 

Otis  Harlan  .... 

208 

XV. 

Richard  Carle 

217 

XVI. 

Digby  Bell     .... 

224 

XVII. 

Jefferson  DeAngelis    . 

.     236 

XVIII. 

Peter  F.  Dailey   . 

256 

XIX. 

Light  Comedy  in  Opera  and  Its 
Exponents    .... 

265 

1^652u0 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


DeWolf  Hopper  in  "  The  Charlatan  "  Frontispiece 
James  T.  Powers  as  Flipper  in  •'  A    Runaway 

Girl  " 44 

Joseph  Weber 102 

The  Rogers   Brothers        .        .        .        .     108 
Frank  Daniels  in  "  The  Ameer "         .        .     141 
Jerome  Sykes  as  Foxy  Quiller  in  "  The  High- 
wayman "       158 

Dan  Daly  in  "The  Lady  Slavey"  .         .168 

Henry  E.  Dixey  in  "  The  Adventures  of  Fran- 

9ois"     .......     189 

Otis  Harlan  in  "  A  Black  Sheep  "        .        .     208 

Richard  Carle 217 

Digby  Bell  in  "Jupiter"        ....     224 
Jefferson  de  Angelis  in  "  The  Jolly    Mus- 
keteer " 236 

Peter  Dailey 256 

Cyril  Scott  in  "  A  Runaway  Girl "       .  265 

Harry  Davenport 274 


FAMOUS  STARS  OF  LIGHT  OPERA 


CHAPTER   I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

The  men  of  especial  prominence  in  light 
opera  in  the  United  States  are  by  no  means 
as  numerous  as  the  women  of  high  rank  in 
the  same  line  of  work,  and  thus  the  com- 
piler's selection  of  the  persons  to  be  consid- 
ered in  a  volume  dealing  with  the  operatic 
comedian  can  be  made  without  great  accom- 
panying embarrassment.  Biographical  mate- 
rial regarding  the  men  is  also  much  more 
plentiful,  and  much  more  easily  obtained, 
II 


12  Celebrated  Comedians. 

than  data  regarding  the  women.  The 
chief  reason  for  this  is  that  the  men  have 
more  material  to  furnish.  Without  excep- 
tion, every  man,  regarded  by  the  public  as 
firmly  established  in  light  opera  or  musical 
comedy,  has  won  his  place  by  hard  work. 
He  is  not  a  sudden,  unaccountable  growth, 
but  he  has  been  years  in  arriving,  and  behind 
him  is  a  career,  embracing  in  many  cases 
practically  every  form  of  dramatic  art. 

The  average  man  in  the  musical  field  of 
the  drama  has,  therefore,  in  point  of  service, 
a  better  claim  to  consideration  as  an  artist 
than  the  average  woman  in  the  same  field. 
He,  at  least,  may  be  said  to  have  mastered 
the  fundamentals  of  his  trade.  Although 
the  prime  reason  for  his  success  may  be 
an  eccentric  personality  or  an  odd  physical 
equipment,  he  may  justly  claim,  even  at  that, 
to  have  learned  by  experience  and  by  experi- 
ment how  best  to  use  these  personal  pecul- 
iarities.     Furthermore,    no   one    can    for    a 


Introductory.  1 3 

moment  doubt  the  existence  of  unusual  comic 
talent  in  these  men,  though  their  crude  jests 
and  buffoon  tricks  would  often  tempt  one 
into  declaring  that  they  have  no  conception 
of  real  wit  nor  of  genuine  humour. 

In  the  face  of  this  almost  ideal  combina- 
tion of  comic  talent  with  personality  and  a 
varied  experience,  the  question  immediately 
suggests  itself,  How  is  it  that  the  comedian 
in  opera  is  so  often  a  clown  and  so  seldom 
an  artist  ?  It  is  well  to  explain,  possibly, 
that  by  a  clown  is  meant  a  player  who  intro- 
duces comic  business  and  lines  into  a  dra- 
matic action  without  a  logical  reason  for 
their  existence,  who  makes  no  pretence  of 
character  exposition,  but,  for  the  sake  of  the 
laugh,  resorts  to  "  gagging,"  and  every  variety 
of  "monkey-shine"  that  his  ingenuity  can 
suggest.  Of  course  no  generalisation  can 
explain  all  the  whys  and  wherefores  of  the 
doings  of  the  individual,  but  I  think  a  fair 
reason  for  the  shortcomings  of  the  operatic 


14  Celebrated  Comedians. 

comedian  may  be  found  among  the  following 
causes : 

Primarily,  there  is  the  necessity  for  obtain- 
ing popular  success.  No  enterprise  on  the 
stage  involves  a  greater  outlay  of  money 
before  a  cent  is  taken  in  at  the  door  than 
a  musical  production.  Moreover,  the  failure 
of  such  a  production  means  not  only  a  great 
forfeiture  of  money  by  all  concerned,  but  it 
means  as  well  a  considerable  loss  of  prestige 
by  the  comedian,  whose  name  is  so  closely 
connected  with  the  venture.  This  feeling, 
that  the  approval  of  the  public  must  be 
gained  at  all  hazards,  of  itself  kills  originality 
in  the  actor  who  is  not  morally  courageous, 
or  who  is  in  the  least  timid  regarding  his 
ability.  He  is  afraid  to  experiment.  More- 
over, should  the  actor  dare  to  be  original, 
and  should  failure  ensue,  he  is  then  actually 
obliged  to  resort  to  any  device  in  a  wild  effort 
to  save  the  piece  from  total  wreck.  Thus,  in 
"  Cyrano  de  Bergerac,"   Francis  Wilson  at- 


Introductory.  1 5 

tempted  something  new,  and  failed.  The 
outlay  in  furthering  the  experiment  had 
been  great,  and,  in  an  endeavour  to  make 
the  opera  pay  to  a  degree,  and  to  recover  at 
least  a  portion  of  the  money  invested,  Mr. 
Wilson  turned  a  study  of  character  into  an 
exhibition  of  Francis  Wilson. 

Secondly,  there  is  the  proneness  of  the 
theatre-going  public  to  demand  that  an 
actor  continue  indefinitely  in  the  line  of  parts 
in  which  he  has  made  his  greatest  successes. 
This  condition  of  affairs,  however,  is  always 
as  much  the  fault  of  the  player  as  it  is  of  the 
public.  I  doubt  if  the  public  ever  failed  to 
appreciate  an  artistic  and  powerful  character 
creation  in  a  striking  environment,  simply 
because  the  actor  presenting  that  charac- 
terisation had  entered  a  field  strange  and 
unexplored  as  far  as  he  was  concerned. 

Thirdly,  there  is  the  force  of  habit.  It 
is  undoubtedly  an  effort  to  break  away 
from    clowning    propensities    long    indulged 


1 6  Celebrated  Comedians. 

in.  Tricks  of  that  kind  grow  on  one  until 
they  become  second  nature.  Take  the  cast 
of  DeWolf  Hopper,  for  example.  He  showed 
early  in  his  career  that  he  was  not  without 
ability  as  a  character  actor.  Since  he  has 
reached  starring  eminence,  however,  he  has 
consistently  played  the  buffoon.  If  he  were 
asked  why  he  never  tried  something  of  more 
value  artistically,  he  would  probably  answer 
that  public  opinion  was  against  it.  I  do  not 
believe  that  is  true.  On  the  contrary,  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  the  novelty  of  seeing 
Hopper  act  —  if  he  acted  well,  and  if  the 
opera  in  which  he  acted  were  worthy  — 
would  prove  a  drawing  attraction  of  remark- 
able power.  The  truth  is,  in  Hopper's  case 
the  habit  of  clowning  has  become  so  fixed 
that  he  cannot  break  away  from  it  without 
more  effort  than  he  cares  to  make. 

The  buffoon  we  shall  always  have  with  us, 
and  he  is  not  without  his  legitimate  uses  in 
the  wide  range  of  theatrical  entertainment. 


Intiodiictory.  1 7 

What  is  objected  to  is,  not  his  existence,  but 
his  domination.  The  proper  field  of  the 
operatic  comedian  is  low  comedy,  where  there 
is  ample  opportunity  for  him  to  exhibit  act- 
ing as  an  art.  Clowning,  even  in  its  most 
subtle  aspects,  is  merely  trading  on  instinct. 


CHAPTER   II. 

FRANCIS    WILSON. 

Although  Francis  Wilson  cannot  be  said 
to  have  made  any  startling  advance  in  his 
art  since  the  halcyon  days  of  the  old  Casino 
Company  in  New  York,  when  his  impersona- 
tion of  Cadeaux  in  "  Erminie  "  brought  him 
into  popular  favour  in  so  extraordinary  a 
fashion,  nevertheless  at  the  present  moment 
he  is  generally  accorded  first  place  among 
the  light  opera  comedians  in  this  country. 
If  one  limit  him  to  his  own  peculiar  field  of 
burlesque  operetta,  it  is  safe  to  add  that  his 
supremacy  has  never  been  seriously  chal- 
lenged since  he  came  into  prominence.  The 
reason  for  Francis  Wilson's  long  continued 
leadership  is  not  so  much  that  he  is  a  man 
i8 


Francis  Wilson.  19 

of  unusual  talent  as  that  he,  almost  alone  of 
his  contemporaries,  learned  before  his  habits 
were  immutably  fixed  the  necessity  of  going 
outside  of  his  own  narrow  and  limited  expe- 
rience for  inspiration  in  his  work ;  he  learned 
that  it  was  dangerous  to  rely  too  long  on  the 
meagre  supply  of  amusing  tricks  that  so 
often  constitute  the  whole  technical  equip- 
ment of  a  professional  buffoon.  Mr.  Wilson 
has,  going  hand  in  hand  with  his  ability  as 
an  entertainer,  the  impersonating  instinct  of 
the  true  actor.  He  has  an  intuition  for  char- 
acter exposition,  and,  because  of  that  instinct 
and  that  intuition,  his  clowning  has  a  back- 
ground of  solidity  and  histrionic  strength 
never  felt  in  the  clowning  of  the  man  who 
merely  plays  himself. 

Francis  Wilson's  training  has  been  long, 
severe,  and  thorough.  He  started  humbly 
enough  as  a  negro  minstrel,  and  he  had  his 
apprenticeship  experience  with  the  conven- 
tional  drama  in   the  stock   company   of   the 


20  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Chestnut  Street  Theatre  in  Philadelphia. 
His  reputation  in  the  light  opera  field  did 
not  come  to  him  with  a  rush,  —  it  was  not 
born  in  a  night  to  fade  away  in  a  day.  He 
laboured  faithfully  with  the  McCaull  Opera 
Company  and  at  the  Casino  before  he  was 
recognised  as  of  stellar  proportions.  It  may 
fairly  be  claimed  of  him  that  he  earned  all 
that  came  to  him,  and,  in  declaring  that  of 
recent  years  he  has  given  the  public  nothing 
that  could  compare  in  artistic  finish  with  his 
thief  in  "Erminie,"  it  must  also  be  borne  in 
mind  that  operatic  parts  of  the  calibre  of 
Cadeaux  are  so  rare  that,  even  at  this  late 
day,  Cadeaux  stands  practically  unique. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  been  especially  fortunate 
in  avoiding  conventionality  and  sameness  in 
his  characterisations.  Even  in  parts  of  unde- 
niable similiarity,  he  has  been  consistently 
inventive  and  resourceful.  His  originality 
and  his  artistic  attainments  have  kept  him 
from  becoming  wholly  a  routine  actor,  when 


Francis  Wilson.  21 

circumstances  seemed  to  have  conspired  to 
keep  him  faithfully  to  the  single  rut  in  the 
road  that  sooner  or  later  wrecks  a  reputation. 
By  thus  dodging  the  almost  inevitable,  he  has 
constantly  kept  the  theatre-going  public  inter- 
ested in  his  work.  There  is  continually 
abroad  the  feeling  regarding  him  that  some 
day  he  will  surprise  somebody.  For  Francis 
Wilson,  in  spite  of  the  many  years  that  he 
has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  the  theatrical 
world,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  has 
made  recently  no  appreciable  advance  in  his 
art,  has  never  yet  forced  on  one  the  impres- 
sion that  he  has  reached  his  limit.  His  is  an 
optimistic  temperament  that  inspires  opti- 
mism. 

Francis  Wilson  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
on  February  7,  1854.  His  parents  were 
Quakers,  as  were  his  ancestors  for  many 
generations  back,  and  it  was  his  parents' 
intention  that  he  should  receive  a  good  com- 
mercial education,  and  live  a  sedate  business 


22  Celebrated  Comedians. 

life.  Instead  of  that,  however,  he  became 
a  negro  minstrel.  How  that  happened  Wil- 
son tells  himself : 

"  I  was  stage-struck  from  early  youth,  and 
nothing  pleased  me  so  much  as  to  attend  a 
performance  at  one  of  the  Philadelphia  thea- 
tres. I  was  blessed  with  a  retentive  memory, 
and  could  easily  master  the  lines  of  a  good 
part  of  every  play  witnessed.  As  soon  as 
possible,  I  would  write  down  all  that  I  re- 
membered, fill  in  the  blanks  with  dialogue 
of  my  own  invention,  and  then  the  whole 
concoction  would  be  produced  in  the  cellar, 
or,  possibly,  if  it  seemed  especially  good,  in 
the  home  of  some  one  of  my  schoolboy 
friends. 

"  When  I  was  ten  years  old,  I  was  dividing 
my  attention  between  my  lessons  at  school 
and  the  practice  of  jig-stepping  in  the  cellar. 
I  remember  of  reading  in  James  Rees's  life  of 
Forrest  that  the  great  tragedian  advised 
actors  to  learn  singing  to  give  grace  to  the 


Francis  Wilsofi.  23 

voice,  fencing  to  give  grace  to  the  hand,  and 
dancing  to  give  grace  to  the  body.  I  accord- 
ingly mastered  many  difficult  dancing  steps, 
and  even  got  so  that  I  could  sing  a  song 
fairly  well.  One  day  I  sought  out  '  Billy ' 
Wright,  who  was  performing  in  a  Philadel- 
phia concert-hall.  He  whistled  the  '  Essence 
of  Ole  Virginny  '  for  me  while  I  jigged  away 
as  best  I  could. 

"My  efficiency  in  the  art  of  jigging  se- 
cured me  an  engagement  to  appear  with  a 
minstrel  company  in  Third  Street,  managed 
by  Sam  Sanford.  I  was  called  Master 
Johnny  on  the  playbills,  and  my  first  public 
effort  was  in  the  familiar  negro  farce  called 
'The  Virginia  Mummy.'  I  could  not  realise 
that  I  had  become  a  full-fledged  professional 
until  I  received  my  earnings  on  salary  day, 
all  in  pennies.  My  parents  knew  nothing  of 
my  enterprise,  and  I  didn't  intend  that  they 
should.  I  used  to  dodge  in  and  out  of  my 
room  without  the  knowledge  of  any  one  in 


24  Celebrated  Comedians. 

the  household,  and  all  went  well  until  my 
mother  began  to  wonder  why  the  sheets  and 
pillow-cases  on  my  bed  were  so  dirty.  It 
was  the  burnt  cork,  which  I  never  had  time 
properly  to  wash  from  my  face  and  hands, 
that  had  discoloured  them.  So  I  was  watched, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  it  was  discovered 
just  what  I  was  up  to." 

Then  followed  trials  and  tribulations  for 
the  youthful  aspirant  for  theatrical  honours. 
Home  discipline  could  not  cure  him,  how- 
ever, and  the  first  opportunity  found  him 
back  at  Sanford's.  Of  course  there  was 
more  home  discipline,  and  more  running 
away,  until,  at  last,  young  Wilson  threw 
aside  all  restraint,  and  cast  his  lot  for  good 
and  all  with  his  beloved  minstrels.  Besides 
playing  at  Sanford's,  he  travelled  in  the  West 
with  Birch,  Wambold,  and  Backus. 

"  But  I  had  high  aspirations,"  continued 
Mr.  Wilson,  "and  the  life  of  a  minstrel  did 
not  altogether  suit  me.     I  got   Sanford  to 


Francis  Wilson.  25 

give  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  E.  L. 
Davenport,  then  at  the  Chestnut  Street  Thea- 
tre in  Philadelphia.  Davenport  was  such  a 
big  man,  and  I  was  such  a  small  boy,  that  I 
hesitated  before  I  faced  him.  I  went  out  to 
Fairmount  Park  to  take  a  walk  and  think 
over  the  matter.  As  I  came  to  the  bridge 
over  the  Schuylkill,  I  took  out  that  precious 
letter,  and  thought  I  would  read  it.  Letters 
of  introduction  are  always  open,  and,  there- 
fore, always  flattering  to  the  introduced  party, 
and  I  hoped  a  peep  at  the  contents  might 
brace  up  my  courage  a  bit.  It  was  a  windy 
day,  and,  while  I  read,  the  letter  was  blown 
into  the  river.  I  didn't  have  the  courage  to 
ask  Sanford  for  another  letter,  and,  as  I  was 
half  afraid  of  Davenport  anyway,  I  dropped 
my  high  tragedy  ideas  for  awhile." 

It  was  shortly  after  this  that  Wilson  formed 
a  partnership  with  James  Mackin,  and  the 
singing  and  dancing  team  of  Mackin  and  Wil- 
son very  soon  became  a  favourite  feature  of 


26  Celebrated  Comedians. 

minstrel  and  variety  shows.  The  two  pooled 
their  interests  in  Indianapolis,  and  were 
almost  immediately  summoned  to  New  York 
to  play  an  extended  engagement  with  Birch, 
Wambold,  and  Backus's  San  Francisco  Min- 
strels. After  that  Tom  Maguire  took  them 
to  San  Francisco  to  become  members  of  one 
of  the  most  notable  minstrel  companies  ever 
gotten  together.  Two  years  in  Chicago  with 
Arlington,  Cotton,  and  Kemble  were  followed 
by  an  engagement  in  New  York  in  Josh 
Hart's  Theatre  Comique,  Harrigan  and 
Hart  being  the  principal  members  of  the 
company.  This  practically  ended  Wilson's 
minstrel  experience. 

"  I  began  in  San  Francisco  to  look  long- 
ingly toward  legitimate  work,"  said  Mr.  Wil- 
son, "and  William  H.  Crane  gave  me  the 
first  words  of  encouragement  to  persevere  in 
my  purpose.  Mackin  knew  of  my  aspira- 
tions, and  often  derided  me,  both  in  private 
and   in  public,   for   my  temerity   in   looking 


Francis  Wilson.  ij 

upward.  I  bore  his  verbal  strictures  with 
comparative  indifference,  but  when  he  under- 
took to  knock  the  ambition  out  of  my  head 
with  his  fists,  I  made  up  my  mind  it  was  time 
to  square  matters.  Accordingly,  I  took  boxing 
lessons  in  Chicago  of  Col.  T.  H.  Monstery,  a 
prominent  teacher  of  the  art  of  self-defence, 
and  soon  showed  my  pugnacious  partner  that 
I  was  his  master  at  the  game.  In  the  future 
he  avoided  physical  discomfort  by  treating 
me  with  courteous  consideration.  Colonel 
Monstery  also  taught  me  how  to  use  the 
foils,  and  I  entered  the  sword  contests  in  the 
Gilmore  Garden  games  in  1876,  winning, 
with  the  help  of  his  careful  coaching,  the 
amateur  championship  of  America." 

Mr.  Wilson  acknowledges  that  he  perfected 
himself  in  fencing,  with  the  hope  that  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  art  would  help  him  in  his  ambi- 
tion to  become  an  actor  of  tragedy.  He  had 
even  committed  to  memory  a  number  of 
Shakespearian   parts,   and   had    selected    the 


28  Celebrated  Comedians. 

rdles  in  which  he  thought  that  he  could 
make  a  success.  He  thought  that  a  period 
of  training  in  stock  work  would  do  him  no 
harm,  so  he  gave  up  the  seventy-five  dollars 
a  week,  which  he  was  making  as  his  share  of 
the  profits  with  Mackin,  and  applied  to  Wil- 
liam D.  Gemmill  for  a  place  in  the  stock 
company  of  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre  in 
Philadelphia.  Thus  in  1877  he  ceased  being 
a  negro  minstrel,  and  became  a  general  utility 
man  at  a  salary  of  fifteen  dollars  a  week.  In 
the  course  of  the  season  he  also  became 
fencing  master  to  the  company,  and  some  of 
his  pupils  were  Charles  Bradshaw,  William 
E.  Sheridan,  William  J.  Ferguson,  Frank  W. 
Sanger,  and  A.  H.  Canby,  who  was  afterward 
Wilson's  manager. 

"  I  imagined,"  remarked  Mr.  Wilson,  "that 
my  forte  would  be  the  very  serious  parts,  and 
I  never  dreamed  that  I  could  be  successful 
in  humourous  r61es.  After  the  production 
of  '  Hamlet,'  for  which,  by  the  way,  I  ar- 


Francis  Wilson.  29 

ranged  the  duel  in  the  last  act,  I  was  cast  for 
the  part  of  Farmer  Banks  in  'Wild  Oats.' 
I  remember  I  had  to  say,  '  Nay,  nay,  you 
shall  not  pass  this  gate  except  over  my 
dead  body.'  I  was  dead  letter  perfect  a 
week  before  the  comedy  was  produced,  and, 
in  addition  to  my  own  part,  I  committed 
to  memory  the  lines  of  several  of  the  other 
characters.  One  night  the  man  who  played 
Lamp,  the  theatrical  manager,  was  unable 
to  appear,  and  I  was  given  the  part.  I 
think  that  was  the  happiest  night  of  my 
professional  career.  I  made  a  fair  success- 
being  twice  recalled,  and  later  I  also  made 
something  of  a  hit  as  Cool  in  '  London 
Assurance.'  " 

The  next  season  Mr.  Wilson  received  an 
increase  in  salary  of  five  dollars  a  week,  and 
as  Charles  Stanley,  the  leading  comedian, 
elected  to  play  many  of  the  character  parts, 
much  of  the  low  comedy  fell  into  Wilson's 
hands.     His    success    in    this    line    of   work 


30  Celebrated  Comedians. 

knocked  all  the  tragedy  out  of  him,  and  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  follow  the  advice  of 
William  Daly,  the  stage-manager,  who  said 
to  him  after  his  performance  of  Lamp : 
"  Young  man,  you  keep  on  like  that,  and 
you'll  be  playing  leading  comedy.  The  idea 
of  a  fellow  with  such  legs  and  such  a  nose 
aspiring  to  serious  work." 

For  ten  weeks  Mr.  Wilson  acted  the  Judge 
and  Templeton  Fake  in  "  M'liss  "  with  Annie 
Pixley,  and  then  returned  to  the  Chestnut 
Street  Theatre  to  play  second  comedy  char- 
acters, among  them  Sam  Gerridge  in  "  Caste," 
and  Sergeant  Jones  in  "Ours."  Before  the 
season  was  over,  however,  he  obtained  his 
release  from  the  stock  company,  and  appeared 
as  the  Baron,  a  serio-comic  heavy  part  in 
"  Our  Goblins."  He  remained  with  this 
attraction  the  succeeding  season.  The  com- 
pany finally  went  to  smash  in  San  Francisco, 
and  it  was  there  that  Wilson  made  his  first 
appearance  in  opera,  taking  the  part  of  Ad- 


Francis  Wilson.  31 

miral   Porter,   K.   C.   B.,   in  a  production  of 
"Pinafore." 

In  1882,  when  he  became  leading  come- 
dian of  the  McCaull  Opera  Company,  Mr. 
Wilson's  career  in  burlesque  opera  may  be 
said  really  to  have  begun.  Colonel  McCaull 
had  seen  Wilson  in  "  Our  Goblins,"  and  had 
liked  his  work,  and  when  he  ran  across  the 
comedian  in  New  York  out  of  a  job,  he 
offered  him  an  engagement.  McCaull  was 
a  bit  startled  when  Wilson  demanded  one 
hundred  dollars  a  week.  "  I  thought  if  I 
asked  a  big  price,  McCaull  would  think  more 
of  me,"  was  the  way  Wilson  explained  it. 
The  negotiations  came  to  naught.  A  few 
weeks  after  that  McCaull  again  met  Wilson 
on  the  street,  and  asked  him  what  he  was 
doing.  "Nothing,"  was  the  reply.  "Will 
you  take  the  part  I  offered  you  } "  queried 
the  manager.  "  Yes,"  answered  Wilson, 
"  for  one  hundred  dollars  a  week."  "  By 
thunder,   I'll   engage   you ! "   exclaimed   Mc- 


32  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Caull,  and  so  began  Francis  Wilson's  fame 
and  fortune.  His  first  part  in  the  McCaull 
Company  was  Don  Sancho  in  "  The  Queen's 
Lace  Handkerchief,"  at  the  Casino  in  New 
York.  It  is  recorded  that  Wilson  did  not 
make  much  of  a  success  the  first  night,  but 
he  worked  up  the  part  in  the  succeeding 
performances  until  it  became  quite  a  feature. 
He  remained  with  the  company  three  sea- 
sons, appearing  as  Tremolini  in  "  The  Prin- 
cess of  Trebizonde,"  Sigismund  in  "  Prince 
Methusalem,"  Balthazar  in  "  The  Merry 
War,"  Folback  in  "  Falka,"  and  Prutchesko 
in  "Apajune." 

When  McCaull  retired  from  the  Casino, 
Wilson  joined  the  new  Casino  company  under 
the  management  of  Rudolph  Aronson.  Mar- 
sillac  in  "  Nanon  "  was  his  first  part,  and  this 
was  followed  by  "  Amorita,"  "  The  Gipsy 
Baron,"  "  Erminie,"  and  "  Nadjy."  Cadeaux 
in  "  Erminie  "  is,  without  doubt,  the  part  that 
shows  Mr.  Wilson  at  his  best.     It  is  in  every 


Francis  Wilson.  33 

way  a  remarkably  fine  study  of  character, 
and  it  would  be  just  as  effective  if  it  were 
in  a  play  instead  of  in  an  opera.  It  is  con- 
sistently conceived  throughout,  always  with  a 
keen  appreciation  of  the  theatrically  humour- 
ous ;  it  is  elaborated  to  the  last  detail  in 
action,  and  yet  it  is  never  overelaborated, 
the  final  result  being  the  crowning  subtilty 
of  deceptive  spontaneity  such  as  one  finds, 
for  example,  in  Joseph  Jefferson's  Rip  Van 
Winkle.  This  deceptive  spontaneity  is  to  be 
found  only  in  the  most  closely  studied  and 
carefully  developed  impersonations.  It  is  the 
sure  indication  of  hard,  conscientious,  and 
purposeful  endeavour,  and  the  effect  of  un- 
studied naturalness  and  instinctive  creation 
that  it  produces  on  the  spectator  is  the  crown- 
ing reward  of  the  player.  It  may  not  imme- 
diately bring  him  the  loud-voiced  approbation 
of  an  undiscriminating  public,  which  is  wont 
to  value  above  all  else  acting  that  can  be  seen 
without    opera-glasses,   such  as   Mrs.   Leslie 


34  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Carter's  hysterical  outbursts  in  '*  Zaza  ;  "  but 
it  appeals  forcibly  to  the  seeker  after  genuine 
art  in  the  theatre,  and,  more  than  that,  it 
lives.  Concerning  Mr.  Wilson's  work,  as 
illustrated  in  his  Cadeaux,  one  critic  wrote : 
•'  There  are,  doubtless,  men  on  the  stage 
peculiarly  gifted  with  a  quality  of  infectious 
humour,  simple  in  its  composition,  and  yet 
defying  analysis ;  working  without  rule  or 
method,  and  dependent  entirely  for  effect 
on  the  sympathy  of  the  audience.  Such  a 
man  was  the  late  Mr.  Charles  Reed,  whose 
merest  utterance,  without  any  apparent  device 
of  vocal  inflection  or  accent,  without  any 
attempt  at  facial  illustration  or  gesture  of 
any  sort,  would  set  the  house  a-roaring.  Mr. 
Peter  Dailey  and  Mr.  Otis  Harlan  also  occur 
to  me,  at  the  moment,  as  possessors  of  this 
crude  but  effective  faculty.  That  it  is  capa- 
ble of  refined  development  for  the  higher 
uses  of  the  theatre  has  not  been  proven, 
though   I   believe    Mr.    William   Winter   has 


Francis  Wilson.  35 

proclaimed  that  the  art  of  the  minstrel 
Charles  Backus  —  who,  like  the  others  men- 
tioned, had  but  to  open  his  mouth  to  make 
people  hold  their  sides  —  was  not  essentially 
different  from  that  of  M.  Coquelin.  It  is 
quite  another  matter  when  one  comes  to  con- 
sider the  humour  of  Francis  Wilson.  Here 
it  is  evident  always  to  the  student  of  his 
methods  and  effects  that  nothing  is  left  to 
chance ;  nothing  to  the  mirthful  sympathy 
of  the  audience.  Wilson  brings  to  his  work 
in  comic  opera  the  care  of  the  student  as 
well  as  the  spirit  of  the  artist.  The  enunci- 
ation of  every  line  indicates  discrimination 
and  a  nice  sense  of  comic  proportions.  He 
would  seem  to  have  investigated  the  anatomy 
of  merriment,  as  Burton  did  that  of  melan- 
choly, and  to  have  learned  every  muscle, 
joint,  and  nerve  in  the  make-up  of  jollity. 
The  seeming  spontaneity  of  his  humour  only 
proves  the  more  the  thoroughness  of  his 
mechanism.      He    is    something   more   than 


36  Celebrated  Comedians. 

the  buffoon  and  clown ;  he  is  a  character 
actor.  Therein  lies  the  chief  source  of  his 
superiority  over  other  performers  of  his  kind. 
In  all  the  essential  virtues  of  consistency, 
illusion,  and  appropriate  detail,  Mr.  Wilson's 
Cadeaux  is  an  impersonation  to  the  last  de- 
gree dramatic.  And  the  same  holds  true  of 
his  Merry  Monarch,  Lion  Tamer,  and  other 
characterisations.  They  are  intelligently  con- 
ceived and  skilfully  wrought-out  imperson- 
ations, —  the  works  of  an  actor,  not  of  a 
mere  minstrel.  Mr.  Wilson  owes  much  of 
his  popularity  and  prosperity  to  the  fun  that 
was  born  in  him  ;  but  all  that  is  best  in  his 
achievements  he  owes  to  the  zealous  and 
intelligent  care  with  which  he  has  imparted 
to  his  work  qualities  that  do  not  ordinarily 
attach  to  endeavours  of  comic  opera." 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  read 
Mr.  Wilson's  own  description  of  the  way  in 
which  he  studies  and  develops  his  r61es: 

"The  production  of  effects  in  burlesque 


Francis  Wilson.  37 

opera  is,  I  fancy,  due  to  the  intelligence  and 
care  with  which  these  effects  are  rehearsed. 
Dependence  upon  the  inspiration  of  the  mo- 
ment, as  Mr.  Jefferson  so  ably  points  out  in 
the  concluding  chapters  of  his  autobiography, 
is  rather  a  doubtful  proceeding.  Sometimes 
inspiration  deigns  to  put  in  an  appearance, 
and  all  is  as  smooth  as  desired  ;  but  in  the 
majority  of  cases  it  is  non  est,  and  the  result 
is  chaos.  My  spontaneity  is  always  carefully 
studied.  Having  once  learned  the  lines  and 
partly  knowing  the  music,  I  rehearse  for 
three  or  four  hours  a  day  before  a  looking- 
glass.  I  get  down  each  exact  intonation,  try 
various  sorts  of  gestures  until  I  decide  upon 
those  which  will  be  the  funniest  to  the  audi- 
ence. Having  settled  that,  I  study  a  new 
set  of  inflections  and  gestures  for  possible 
encores.  I  do  not  believe  that  such  a  thing 
as  impromptu  business  exists  on  the  stage. 
Then  the  success  of  a  burlesque  opera  largely 
depends  upon  such  effect  as  a  clever  stage- 


38  Celebrated  Comedians. 

manager  introduces.  He  must  keep  his  peo- 
ple constantly  active,  and  with  some  purpose. 
He  must  not  allow  the  performance  to  lag  for 
an  instant.  Single  scenes  must  depend  largely 
upon  the  individual  actor ;  but  where  a  num- 
ber of  persons  are  together,  their  picturesque 
dispositions,  the  harmony  and  colour,  and 
particularly  the  tableaux,  are  all  important. 
As  to  my  dancing,  it  seems  to  be  a  popular 
impression  that  my  legs  do  duty  for  my  voice. 
Dancing  is  not  a  mere  matter  of  legs.  The 
audience  not  only  watches  the  legs  of  a 
favourite  dancer,  but  it  also  observes  his  eyes. 
The  end  of  the  dance  that  calls  forth  applause 
depends  more  on  the  expression  of  the  face 
than  on  any  movement  of  the  feet.  The 
hands  play  as  great  a  part  in  dancing  as  the 
feet.  To  what  do  I  attribute  my  success  in 
burlesque  opera }  Well,  I  imagine  that  it 
is  principally  due  to  the  manner  in  which  I 
work.  I  like  the  stage,  and  love  to  act. 
From  the  moment  I  appear  I  enter  with  zest 


Francis  Wilson.  39 

into  the  fun  of  the  performance,  and  the 
humour  is  all  from  the  heart.  And  what 
comes  from  the  heart  is  always  convincing." 
Mr.  Wilson  left  the  New  York  Casino,  and 
started  forth  as  a  star  on  his  own  account 
in  1889.  His  first  production  was  "The 
Oolah,"  made  at  the  Broadway  Theatre,  New 
York.  The  libretto  was  practically  rewritten 
by  J.  Cheever  Goodwin  after  the  first  per- 
formance, and  as  Lecocq's  score  in  its  entirety 
was  thought  to  be  above  the  heads  of  the 
comic  opera  public,  various  "popular"  melo- 
dies were  introduced.  After  these  changes 
"The  Oolah"  ran  for  nearly  six  months  in 
New  York.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
season  of  1889-90  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's 
opera,  "The  Gondoliers,"  was  brought  out, 
and  the  following  fall  saw  the  production  of 
"  The  Merry  Monarch."  "  The  Lion  Tamer  " 
came  next,  and  the  season  of  1893-94  was 
devoted  to  a  revival  of  "Erminie."  After 
this  followed  in  order  "The  Devil's  Deputy," 


40  Celebrated  Comedians. 

"  Half-a-King,"  "  The  Chieftain,"  "  The  Lit- 
tle Corporal,"  and  "Cyrano  de  Bergerac." 

All  off  a  piece  in  this  list  were  "  The 
Oolah,"  "The  Merry  Monarch,"  "The  Lion 
Tamer,"  "The  Devil's  Deputy,"  and  "Haif- 
a-King." They  were  not  exhaustive  in  their 
demands  on  the  highest  in  Mr.  Wilson's  art ; 
they  were  satisfied  with  physical  agility,  per- 
sonal good  humour,  eccentric  quips,  and  illogi- 
cal oddities.  "  The  Chieftain  "  was  not  an 
alarmingly  brilliant  work,  but  it  gave  Mr. 
Wilson  a  chance  to  break  away  from  tra- 
ditional horse-play  and  clowning.  He  was 
merry  and  frolicsome  as  Peter  Adolphus 
Grigg,  and,  although  his  impersonation  was 
of  a  decidedly  Wilsonish  flavour,  it  was  tem- 
perate and  restrained.  The  public,  however, 
did  not  seem  to  care  for  this  sort  of  thing 
from  the  comedian.  "  The  Little  Corporal," 
too,  was  an  effort  to  break  away  from  undis- 
guised buffoonery,  and  Mr.  Wilson's  semi- 
burlesque  on  Napoleon  was  decidedly  enter- 


Francis  Wilson.  41 

taining.  "  Cyrano  de  Bergerac,"  on  the 
other  hand,  was  really  dull.  Mr.  Wilson 
tried  to  liven  it  up  with  a  rapid  fire  of  epi- 
grammatical  and  paradoxical  wit,  which  also 
became  dreadfully  wearisome  before  the  long 
three  acts  were  over.  The  case  was  set 
forth  in  the  best  possible  light  by  Lyman 
B.  Glover,  of  Chicago,  who  wrote  : 

"A  fair  illustration  of  what  one  man  can 
accomplish  through  sheer  force  of  talent  and 
magnetism  was  provided  last  week  in  the 
burlesque  on  •  Cyrano '  at  the  Columbia. 
Strictly  speaking,  it  is  gross  flattery  to  desig- 
nate this  as  a  burlesque  upon  Rostand's 
famous  work.  Yet  it  was  intended  to  be  a 
travesty  by  the  authors,  and,  thanks  almost 
exclusively  to  the  cleverness  of  Mr.  Wilson, 
audiences  were  enabled  to  accept  it  with 
favour  as  a  breezy  bit  of  fooling.  A  genuine 
romance  always  provides  the  best  material 
for  a  travesty,  and,  while  the  author  did  not 
improve  the  opportunity  in  this  instance  of 


42  Celebrated  Comedians. 

topsy-turvyism,  Mr.  Wilson's  performance 
made  amends  for  any  sin  of  omission  or 
commission  on  the  part  of  the  overworked 
hbrettist.  As  I  have  already  intimated,  this 
nimble  and  versatile  comedian  came  very  near 
being  the  whole  thing,  and  I  doubt  if  there 
would  have  been  a  word  of  criticism  from 
any  quarter  if  he  had  contrived  to  remain  on 
the  stage  all  of  the  time.  Years  ago,  after 
he  left  the  Casino,  Mr.  Wilson  snatched  vic- 
tory from  defeat  in  the  case  of  '  The  Oolah,' 
just  as  he  now  triumphs  with  *  Cyrano,' 
which  at  its  inception  was  thought  to  be 
deadly  dull.  So  resourceful  a  fun-maker, 
who  makes  grist  of  everything  that  comes  to 
his  mill,  and  with  his  own  versatile  jollity, 
set  in  a  stirring  array  of  well-drilled  people, 
Mr,  Wilson  worked  out  the  salvation  of  the 
burlesque  *  Cyrano.'  The  music  of  the  opera 
we  may  speak  of  with  bated  breath,  won- 
dering what  ailed  Victor  Herbert  when  he 
suffered  this  particular  spasm.    The  lyrics  we 


Francis  Wilson.  43 

pass  by  in  silence,  but  the  infectious  good 
humour  of  Francis  Wilson,  who  is,  indeed, 
'a  fellow  of  infinite  jest,'  commands  our  en- 
thusiastic approval.  The  world  would  be 
merrier  if  there  were  more  like  him." 


CHAPTER    IIL 

JAMES    T,    POWERS. 

James  T.  Powers  has  never  presented  a 
more  finished  specimen  of  the  actor's  art 
than  his  impersonation  of  Flipper,  the  comi- 
cal little  jockey  in  "A  Runaway  Girl."  So 
much  has  he  made  the  part  his  own,  that  one 
feels  quite  safe  in  declaring  that  he  is  far 
more  responsible  for  the  character  than  the 
author  of  the  play.  When  one  has  seen 
only  a  single  actor  in  a  role,  and  when  that 
actor  has  filled  it  so  completely  that  there  is 
no  room  left  even  for  a  mental  image  of 
some  one  else,  it  is  difficult  to  trace  the 
process  of  evolution  backward  and  figure 
out  what  the  part  would  be  without  the 
actor.     The  feat  is  accomplished  by  a  proc- 

44 


JAMES    T.    POWKRS 
as   Kli|)per  in   •'  A    Runaway   (Wrl. 


James   T.  Powers.  45 

ess  of  elimination,  by  cutting  out  business, 
extra  bits  of  pantomime,  and  everything  of 
that  kind,  and  then  sizing  up,  as  fairly  as 
possible,  what  is  left.  I  acknowledge  that 
there  is  nothing  especially  enjoyable  in  thus 
analysing  one's  self  into  a  state  of  disillusion- 
ment, —  it  is  not  unlike  a  child  examining  the 
sawdust  interior  of  his  favourite  doll,  —  but  it 
is  really  the  only  way  to  get  a  notion  of  what 
Mr.  Powers  did  for  Flipper. 

While  thinking  of  Flipper,  I  recalled  a 
number  of  comic  creations  that  will  always 
live  in  the  history  of  the  stage.  E.  A. 
Sothern's  Lord  Dundreary  was  one.  Joseph 
Jefferson's  Salem  Scudder  was  another, 
William  Warren's  Sir  Peter  Teazle  was  a 
third.  I  am  not  going  to  put  Powers  in  the 
list,  —  not  just  yet,  at  any  rate.  Besides, 
Flipper's  surroundings  are  not  conducive  to 
a  venerable  age.  Musical  comedy  lives  too 
fast  to  live  long.  Mr.  Powers's  method, 
however,   does  parallel  the  methods  of   the 


46  Celebrated  Comedians. 

actors  that  have  given  us  the  great  comedy 
impersonations  of  the  stage.  Powers  built 
up  his  part  gradually  from  none  too  much 
nor  none  too  worthy  material.  He  never 
for  a  moment  regarded  his  impersonation  as 
complete.  He  elaborated  continually  with 
infinite  resource  and  a  sure  instinct  for  effect, 
until  his  performance  became  remarkable  for 
its  breadth  of  pantomimic  expression. 

As  Flipper  was  finally  presented  by  Mr, 
Powers,  nearly  every  speech  given  to  the 
character  could  have  been  cut  out,  and  the 
impersonation  would  have  been  scarcely  less 
vivid,  and  only  a  trifle  less  effective.  This 
pantomime,  moreover,  was  not  of  the  French 
school,  essentially  artificial  and  forced  ;  it  did 
not  attempt  to  convey  Flipper's  thoughts 
and  actions  by  means  of  conventional  ges- 
tures ;  it  was  not  satisfied  with  a  superficial 
reading  of  his  motives.  Mr.  Powers's  pan- 
tomimic art  did  not  seem  to  appeal  first  to  the 
eye  and  then  to  the  mind.     He  apparently 


James    T.    Powers.  47 

aimed  directly  at  the  imagination,  and  in  doing 
so  he  never  condescended  to  prosy  explana- 
tions ;  he  suggested  —  by  the  flick  of  an  eye- 
brow, it  would  seem  —  a  vast  experience. 

In  the  matter  of  gesture,  indeed,  Mr.  Pow- 
ers was  sparing.  He  often  stood  in  that 
favourite,  posture,  his  hands  in  the  pockets 
of  his  odd  little  coat,  for  seconds  at  a  time, 
mirroring  on  a  countenance  that  was  of 
itself  irresistible  comedy,  emotion  after  emo- 
tion, simple-minded  and  democratic  honesty, 
embarrassment,  shame-faced  ignorance,  fear, 
and  bravado.  Do  not  think,  either,  that  all 
this  was  done  by  means  of  facial  gymnastics 
fearful  to  contemplate.  Mr.  Powers  knew  a 
better  way  of  making  himself  understood 
than  by  grimaces  alone.  He  first  fixed  in 
his  own  mind  the  emotion  that  he  wished  to 
convey ;  he  himself  felt  it,  and  instantly,  by 
that  sure  telepathy  that  makes  possible  the 
school  of  repression  in  acting,  the  spectator 
comprehended  it. 


48  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Although  the  atmosphere  of  the  character 
was  one  of  gentle  burlesque,  Mr.  Powers 
made  Flipper  wonderfully  real,  thoroughly 
understandable,  and  faithful  to  human  na- 
ture, even  in  his  eccentricities.  Especially 
was  he  profoundly  unconscious  of  his  own 
comedy  possibilities.  To  be  sure,  he  would 
doubtless  have  boasted  freely  of  his  pretty  wit, 
and  perhaps  air  it  as  evidence  of  his  truthful- 
ness. Nevertheless,  Flipper,  in  his  own  eyes, 
was  not  a  humourous  personage,  and  he  re- 
garded seriously  the  difficulties  under  which 
he  so  continually  laboured,  and  he  never  could 
figure  out  to  his  own  satisfaction  why  stran- 
gers were  so  wont  to  laugh  at  him. 

On  its  low  comedy  plane  Mr.  Powers's 
Flipper  was  a  great  study  of  character,  and 
many  a  sober-minded  actor,  with  a  sepulchral 
voice,  has  vaunted  himself  much  over  a  trag- 
edy part  that  did  not  represent  half  the  ear- 
nestness of  purpose,  half  the  artistic  sincerity, 
nor  require  half  the  amount  of  honest  work 


James  T.  Powers.  49 

that  was  put  into  the  development  of  that 
same  comical  little  jockey. 

James  T.  Powers  was  born  in  New  York 
City  on  April  26,  1862.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  until  he  was  old  enough  to  go 
to  work,  and  then  he  became  a  Western 
Union  messenger  boy.  This  was  followed 
by  a  clerkship  in  a  tea-store.  Powers  lost 
this  job  through  an  accident.  He  was  sent 
into  the  cellar  one  day  to  draw  a  can  of 
petroleum  oil  from  the  barrel,  and,  while  the 
can  was  filling,  he  amused  himself  by  turning 
handsprings.  One  flop  failed  to  go  just  as  it 
should,  and  the  performer  came  down  on  his 
head  with  sufficient  force  to  make  him  insen- 
sible. By  and  by  the  proprietor  of  the  store 
went  down  cellar  to  see  what  was  detaining 
his  clerk  so  long,  and  he  found  the  youth 
almost  drowned  in  the  oil.  Discharge  and 
the  stage  followed. 

Powers  made  his  first  professional  appear- 
ance in  May,  1878,  in  a  small  variety  theatre 


50  Celebrated  Comedians. 

at  Long  Branch,  N.  J.,  as  a  singer  and  a 
dancer.  A  year  later  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  James  Carney,  and  the  pair  re- 
mained together  in  the  varieties  for  two 
years.  After  they  separated,  in  1881,  Powers 
played  for  six  months  in  the  stock  com- 
pany at  Aberle's  Eighth  Street  Theatre  in 
New  York,  until  his  love  of  mischief  got  him 
into  trouble.  In  one  of  the  plays  an  actor 
named  Johnson  had  to  descend  through  a 
trap.  One  night,  while  he  was  going  down. 
Powers  pulled  a  string  fastened  to  the  cover 
of  a  tank  of  water  beneath  the  trap,  and  Mr. 
Johnson  was  thoroughly  ducked.  It  was  a 
case  where  apologies  were  not  in  order,  and 
Powers  sought  pastures  new. 

During  the  year  1882  Powers  played  the 
policeman  in  Rice's  "Evangeline,"  Chip,  the 
photographer,  in  Willie  Edouin's  "  Dreams," 
and  Grimes  in  "A  Bunch  of  Keys."  In 
1883  he  went  to  London  with  Willie  Edouin, 
playing    with    him    at    the    London    Avenue 


James  T.  Powers.  5  i 

Theatre  and  in  the  provinces.  Then  he  took 
Fawdon  Yokes' s  place  with  the  Yokes  fam- 
ily, and  travelled  with  the  company  in  Eng- 
land and  Ireland.  In  Henderson  and  Far- 
nie's  "Chilperic,"  he  spoke  the  first  lines 
ever  given  on  the  stage  of  the  Empire  Thea- 
tre in  London,  and  in  addition  scored  the 
biggest  success  that  he  had  known  up  to  that 
time.  He  spent  the  pantomime  season  of 
1884-85  at  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  playing 
the  Emperor  of  Morocco  in  "  Whittington 
and  His  Cat."  After  this  Augustus  Harris 
offered  him  a  three  years'  engagement  in 
his  stock  company,  but  Powers  preferred  to 
return  home. 

In  the  spring  of  1885  he  took  the  part  of 
Rats,  the  tough  boy,  in  Hoyt's  "A  Tin  Sol- 
dier," which  he  acted  for  two  years  until  he 
succeeded  Francis  Wilson  at  the  Casino  in 
New  York.  His  first  character  there  was 
Brioletin,  in  "  The  Marquis,"  in  which  his 
burlesque  of  a  ballet  dancer  was  considered 


52  Celebrated  Comedians. 

about  the  funniest  thing  that  ever  was.  Fara- 
gas  in  "  Nadjy,"  Jack  Point  in  "  The  Yeoman 
of  the  Guard,"  Gravolet  in  "The  Drum 
Major,"  and  Cadeaux  in  "Erminie"  followed. 
Mr.  Powers  started  forth  as  a  star  in  1 890. 
He  was  very  successful  in  the  farce  comedy, 
"A  Straight  Tip,"  which  he  played  for  two 
seasons,  and  then  his  luck  turned.  "  A  Mad 
Bargain,"  "  Walker,  London,"  and  "  The 
New  Boy  "  each  lasted  a  season,  but  none  of 
them  scored  heavily. 

The  most  ambitious  of  the  plays  was 
"Walker,  London,"  a  farce  comedy  by  J.  M. 
Barrie.  The  plot  dealt  with  the  trials  and 
tribulations  of  Jasper  Phipps,  a  barber  with 
social  aspirations,  whose  desire  to  mingle 
with  the  swells  sent  him  forth  on  his  honey- 
moon before  the  marriage  ceremony,  which 
ordinarily  precedes  that  delightful  experience, 
had  been  performed.  Jasper  succeeded  in 
joining  a  houseboat  party  on  the  Thame -;,  un- 
der the  assumed   name  of  Colonel  Neill,  an 


James  T.  Pozuers.  53 

African  explorer.  Many  were  his  troubles 
in  trying  to  live  up  to  his  character,  and  at 
the  same  time  be  true  to  his  betrothed,  in  the 
face  of  a  desperate  flirtation  with  two  pretty 
girls.  The  play  was  really  a  very  good 
one,  —  perhaps  a  little  too  good.  Its  fun  was 
in  the  main  spontaneous,  and  its  characters 
were  capitally  drawn.  Mr.  Powers' s  Jasper 
was  most  humourously  presented.  The  vari- 
ous intonations  that  he  gave  to  the  constantly 
recurring  phrase,  "  Oh,  it's  nothing,"  were 
finely  effective  in  a  comedy  way,  and  the  odd 
laugh  that  served  to  conceal  many  a  bad 
break  was  masterly. 

In  the  spring  of  1897  Mr.  Powers  ap- 
peared as  the  comedian  of  the  Augustin 
Daly  Musical  Comedy  Company.  In  "  The 
Circus  Girl,"  his  Augustus  Biggs,  the  timid 
little  fellow  who  wrestled  with  the  Terrible 
Turk,  was  the  dominating  figure.  This  was 
followed  by  the  Chinaman  in  "  The  Geisha  " 
and  Flipper  in  "A  Runaway  Girl." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

WALTER    JONES. 

Late  in  the  eighties  Walter  Jones  was 
playing,  throughout  the  West,  Passepartout 
in  Kiralfy's  "  Around  the  World  in  Eighty 
Days."  One  day  the  train  on  which  he  was 
travelling  stopped  near  a  hay-field  for  the 
purpose  of  cooling  a  hot  box  on  the  engine. 
From  a  haystack  not  far  away  crawled  forth 
a  specimen  of  the  genus  hobo  that  at  once 
caught  Mr.  Jones's  attention.  He  describes 
the  tramp  as  just  a  little  the  worst  scarecrow 
imaginable.  Thoughtlessly  and  in  a  spirit  of 
fun  Mr.  Jones  made  a  sketch  of  the  fellow  in 
lead-pencil.  He  never  expected  to  make  any 
use  of  it,  but  sometime  afterward  he  was  left 
in  the  lurch  in  San  Francisco.  There  was 
54 


Walter  Jones.  5  5 

nothing  to  be  done  except  to  fix  up  some  sort 
of  a  "  turn  "  and  play  the  variety  theatres  and 
gambling  resorts  of  the  Pacific  Coast  until 
enough  money  was  secured  to  take  the  actor 
back  to  New  York.  While  Mr.  Jones  was 
trying  to  figure  out  just  what  this  turn  should 
be,  he  chanced  to  find  the  old  tramp  picture 
at  the  bottom  of  his  trunk.  With  this  as  a 
model,  he  arranged  his  make-up.  The  tramp's 
sohloquy  was  also  his  own  idea,  although 
W.  A.  Mestayer  was  responsible  for  some  of 
the  "gags." 

Although  his  tramp  served  the  main  reason 
for  his  existence  and  removed  Mr.  Jones  from 
California,  he  did  not  bring  him  immediate 
fame.  For  four  seasons  after  that  Mr.  Jones 
was  with  Mr.  Mestayer,  playing  first  the 
Dude  in  "We,  Us,  and  Co.,"  and  then  appear- 
ing in  ♦•  The  Tourist  "  and  in  "  The  Grab 
Bag."  His  next  engagement  was  with  "  Aunt 
Bridget's  Baby,"  in  which  he  played  Owen 
McFee,    the    opposite   character    to    George 


56  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Munroe.  A  season  in  "  The  United  States 
Mail  "  followed.  For  two  years  after  that  he 
acted  Snapper  in  "  The  Pulse  of  New  York," 
and  then  Edward  E.  Rice  discovered  him 
while  he  was  filling  a  date  at  the  Grand 
Opera  House  in  Boston. 

As  far  as  can  be  learned,  Mr.  Jones  was 
drawing  about  twenty-five  dollars  a  week  for 
his  really  clever  work  in  a  character  part. 
His  admirers  contended  that  he  was  playing 
a  part  worth  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a 
week,  but  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion 
between  them  and  the  managers  of  the  com- 
pany. A  well-known  theatrical  manager  had 
occasion  to  visit  the  Grand  Opera  House  on 
business  with  the  manager  of  the  theatre. 
While  waiting  in  the  house,  he  dropped  into 
a  box,  and,  just  as  he  did  so,  Jones  came  on 
the  stage  and  did  his  tramp  specialty.  He 
was  rehearsing  before  the  manager  who  was 
to  discover  him,  but  he  did  not  know  it.  The 
manager  watched  him  with   interest.       The 


Walter  Jones.  5  / 

people  in  the  audience  were  convulsed  with 
laughter  over  the  clever  delineation  of  the 
hobo  character,  and  the  theatrical  man  also 
thought  that  it  was  the  funniest  act  he  ever 
had  seen.  He  looked  at  the  programme  and 
read  the  name.  He  had  never  seen  it  before, 
nor  had  he  heard  of  the  young  actor  whose  an- 
tics so  amused  him.  He  transacted  his  busi- 
ness with  the  front  of  the  house,  and  left  with 
laughing  memories  of  that  comic  tramp  act 
dancing  in  his  mind.  The  same  manager  went 
to  New  York  City  and  the  following  week 
attended  a  supper  given  by  Edward  E.  Rice. 
He  was  called  upon  to  tell  a  story,  and  he  re- 
lated his  experience  with  this  unique  tramp 
in  "The  Pulse  of  New  York." 

Mr.  Rice  made  up  his  mind  that  Walter 
Jones  would  be  a  good  discovery.  He  came 
to  Boston,  dropped  into  a  box  at  the  Grand 
Opera  House,  saw  Jones  go  through  his 
specialty,  and  engaged  him  temporarily  to 
appear  as  the  king  in    "  1492,"   which   Mr. 


58  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Rice  was  about  to  put  on  at  Palmer's  Thea 
tre,  in  New  York,  offering  him  a  salary  of 
fifty  dollars  a  week  to  play  the  royal  part. 
The  production  was  put  on,  and  the  theatri- 
cal manager  who  had  given  Mr.  Rice  a  sug- 
gestion about  the  young  comedian  was  there 
to  see  if  Mr,  Jones  was  as  good  as  he  had 
appeared  to  be  in  Boston.  Jones  was  just 
the  same,  perhaps  even  better,  and  he  awoke 
the  next  morning  to  find  himself  a  famous 
tramp-king.  Mr.  Rice  made  a  permanent 
contract  with  him,  and  as  long  as  "  1492" 
ran  in  New  York,  Jones  was  the  king,  the 
tramp,  and  the  trump  of  the  show.  When 
"  1492  "  had  served  its  purpose,  Mr.  Jones 
appeared  as  William  Tell  in  "  The  Passing 
Show,"  and  in  "  The  Lady  Slavey "  acted 
one  of  the  bailiffs  with  Dan  Daly.  He  was 
then  engaged  by  Klaw  and  Erlanger  to  cre- 
ate the  part  of  the  vagabond  tragedian  in 
"  Gay  New  York,"  and  the  success  of  that 
piece  on  the  road  was  largely  due  to  Walter 


Walter  Jones.  59 

Jones's  curious  presentation  of  his  unique 
character  parts. 

In  "One  Round  of  Pleasure"  Walter 
Jones  was  fitted  with  a  vagabond  character 
part  particularly  adapted  to  his  style  of  act- 
ing. He  was  the  ingenious  inventor,  Buff- 
ingsby  Flash,  the  good-for-nothing,  who  was 
responsible  for  most  of  the  mischief  in  the 
piece.  Jones's  comic  entrance  on  the  stage 
from  the  top-flies,  hanging  to  an  umbrella, 
will  be  recalled  as  an  especially  ludicrous  bit. 
As  William  Shakespeare,  in  the  travesty 
dedicated  to  the  bard,  Jones  also  did  excel- 
lent work,  and  as  Mr.  Pat  O'Toole,  the  first 
grave-digger  in  "  Hamlet,"  he  was  the  centre 
of  a  burlesque  conceit  that  made  something 
of  a  hit. 

Walter  Jones  was  born  in  1871,  and  was 
only  ten  years  old  when  he  ran  away  from 
his  home  in  Springfield,  Ohio,  to  join  a  cir- 
cus. The  show  was  Robinson  and  Alexan- 
der's, and  the  boy  was  trained  as  a  tumbler 


6o  Celebrated  Comedians. 

and  leaper,  but  later  was  advanced  in  the 
business,  and  clowned  it  with  some  of  the 
old-timers  who  were  bom  and  bred  in 
the  art.  It  was  after  a  winter  spent  as 
treasurer  of  the  Grand  Opera  House  in  Chi- 
cago that  his  first  opportunity  to  act  came. 
This  was  in  a  company  organised  by  a  Cleve- 
land woman,  who  had  written  a  melodrama 
called  "  Genevieve."  The  play  was  very 
much  of  a  failure  on  the  road,  and  one 
fine  morning,  in  Toronto,  Jones  discovered 
that  the  authoress  and  entire  company  had 
skipped,  leaving  him  absolutely  penniless  in 
a  strange  town.  He  managed  to  work  his 
way  to  St.  Thomas,  where  he  joined  Howard 
Hall's  circus.  It  was  just  outside  this  place 
that  P.  T.  Barnum's  big  elephant  Jumbo  was 
run  into  by  a  train  and  killed,  and  Mr,  Jones 
was  an  eye-witness  to  the  accident.  It  was 
at  St.  Thomas,  also,  that  Mr.  Jones  became 
connected  with  the  Kiralfy  outfit,  with  which 
he  journeyed  West. 


Walter  Jones.  6 1 

Walter  Jones  may  be  termed  an  intuitive 
character  actor  of  more  than  ordinary  versa- 
tility. After  his  great  hit  in  "  1492  "  —  an 
accidental  hit,  many  said,  declaring  that  the 
player  had  stumbled  upon  a  wonderfully 
vivid  bit  of  character  —  it  was  freely  pre- 
dicted that,  with  the  waning  popularity  of 
this  impersonation,  Mr.  Jones  would  lapse 
into  obscurity.  Nothing  of  the  kind  hap- 
pened, however.  He  followed  his  tramp 
with  another  taking  piece  of  burlesque  acting, 
—  an  Irish  sailor,  —  conceived  and  executed 
in  the  same  capital  spirit  of  humourous  cari- 
cature. This  second  hit  was  repeated  in 
several  other  like  successes,  until  there  is 
now  no  question  regarding  Mr.  Jones's  knack 
and  talent. 

Mr.  Jones  is  frank  to  say  that  he  does  not 
plan  nor  study  for  the  effects  that  he  ob- 
tains ;  he  possesses  the  intuitive  faculty  for 
doing  exactly  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time. 
His  foolery  is  excellent  art.      His  most  reck- 


62  Celebrated  Comediatis. 

less  fun  abounds  in  delicate  touches,  and 
what  makes  his  tramp  so  winning  and  unique 
are  the  many  lifelike  side-lights  that  shine 
upon  a  grotesque  and  extravagant  background. 
Personally,  Walter  Jones  is  like  many 
other  actors,  the  complete  opposite  of  his 
stage  appearance  and  character.  In  real  life 
he  is  well-made,  dignified,  and  erect.  His 
conversation  gives  the  idea  of  a  fair  edu- 
cation, and  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  this 
smooth-faced,  quiet-voiced  young  man  as 
the  hilarious  picture  of  tramp  life  on  the 
stage,  whose  voice  is  as  husky  as  a  saw,  and 
whose  bedraggled  countenance  and  general 
air  of  disreputability  tell  a  somewhat  elo- 
quent story  of  rainy  days  along  country 
roads  and  dark  nights  in  country  barns. 


CHAPTER  V. 

DEWOLF    HOPPER. 

Persons  brought  into  contact  with  De- 
Wolf  Hopper  quickly  divide  themselves  into 
majority  and  minority  factions.  The  major- 
ity —  and  it  is  a  sizable  one,  too  —  like  him 
very  much  ;  the  minority  detest  him  almost 
beyond  endurance.  This  is  not  an  especially 
surprising  state  of  affairs  when  one  examines 
the  conditions.  There  is  a  tradition  that 
DeWolf  Hopper  might  have  been  an  actor 
if  he  had  not  chosen  to  be  a  clown,  a  tradi- 
tion that  traces  itself  back  to  the  time  when 
Hopper  made  his  first  notable  success  as 
Pittacus  Green  in  the  Madison  Square  Gar- 
den production  of  "  Hazel  Kirke."  The 
notion  was  further  strengthened  by  Hopper's 
63 


64  Celebrated  Comedians. 

General  Ollendorf  in  "  The  Beggar  Student," 
and  his  Pausanias  in  "  The  Lady  or  the 
Tiger,"  during  the  palmy  days  of  the  Mc- 
Caull  Opera  Company. 

However,  whatever  may  have  been  De- 
Wolf  Hopper's  potentialities  as  an  artist,  he 
is  now  only  DeWolf  Hopper,  a  conscious 
buffoon,  whose  stock  in  trade  is  the  long 
legs,  which  nature  gave  him,  and  a  classified 
list  of  mannerisms  that  he  has  collected  and 
preserved  with  painstaking  care.  One  reason 
why  DeWolf  Hopper  is  consistently  followed 
by  a  minority  of  conscientious  haters  is 
because  he  has,  during  the  ten  years  of  his 
career  as  a  star,  shown  not  the  least  indica- 
tion of  growth.  It  takes  more  than  a  passing 
acquaintance  with  his  work  to  find  this  out, 
however.  At  first,  one  is  inclined  to  think, 
just  as  the  Englishmen  apparently  think 
to-day,  that  Hopper  is  about  the  most 
naturally  humourous  fellow  imaginable.  His 
voice,  modelled  after   the   involuntary   bass 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  65 

and  treble  of  the  schoolboy  whose  throat 
mechanism  is  in  that  unsettled  condition 
known  as  "  changing,"  startles  one  into 
amazed  laughter  because  of  its  ludicrous 
contrast  with  his  six  feet  and  several  inches 
of  height.  His  abnormally  long  legs  and  his 
loose-jointed  awkwardness  also  strike  the 
person  but  recently  introduced  to  him  as 
vastly  amusing. 

These  things  are  practically  the  sum  and 
substance  of  the  DeWolf  Hopper  equipment, 
and  so  adequate  to  meet  all  requirements 
does  he  consider  them,  that  he  has  not  added 
to  them  in  any  noticeable  measure  since  he 
became  a  star.  It  is  an  apothegm  that  in 
matters  of  art  one  cannot  stand  still ;  it 
is  either  an  advance  or  a  retreat,  and  the 
person  who  thinks  that  he  is  steadily  main- 
taining the  same  position  is  sure,  sooner 
or  later,  to  awaken  to  the  unpleasant  fact 
that  he  is  travelling  backward.  Unfortu- 
nately  for    himself,   DeWolf    Hopper  is    no 


66  Celebrated  Comedians. 

exception  to  this  rule,  notwithstanding  his 
recent  spectacular  success  in  London,  and 
he  has,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  ac- 
Knovvledged  as  much,  after  the  brief  tour  in 
the  United  States  following  his  return  from 
abroad,  by  abandoning  his  stellar  career  and 
joining  that  refuge  for  big  reputations  main- 
tained in  New  York  by  Weber  and  Fields. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  experience 
will  do  him  a  great  deal  of  good,  for  the 
Weber  and  Fields  organisation  is  certainly 
not  retrogressing,  and,  judging  from  the  out- 
side, it  is  no  place  even  for  a  big  reputation 
to  live  without  work. 

William  DeWolf  Hopper  was  born  in  New 
York  on  March  30,  1858.  The  name  De- 
Wolf,  given  him  in  baptism,  was  his  mother's 
maiden  name,  and  she  was  of  the  family 
of  DeWolf,  whose  daughters  and  nieces  have 
become  Belmonts,  Tiffanys,  Perrys,  Law- 
rences, and  Aspinwalls.  The  old  homestead 
of   the    DeWolfs   at    Bristol,   Rhode   Island, 


Df  Wolf  Hopper.  67 

is  one  of  the  quaintest  among  the  ancient 
mansions  in  the  country.  There  is  a  wide 
hallway  running  through  the  centre  of  the 
house,  and  in  a  conspicuous  place  upon 
the  wall  hangs  the  DeWolf  genealogy,  be- 
ginning in  eleven  hundred  and  something 
with  Olaf,  "The  Sharp-eyed."  DeWolf 
Hopper's  father  was  a  lawyer,  and  he  came 
of  Quaker  stock,  so  it  will  be  seen  that 
Hopper's  drift  toward  the  theatre  was  by  no 
means  an  inherited  tendency.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  was  planned  that  he  should  follow 
in  his  father's  footsteps  and  take  up  the  law, 
and  he  studied  for  six  months  with  that 
purpose  in  view.  Then  he  acted  in  a  little 
amateur  play  called  "  Conscience "  at  the 
Fourteenth  Street  Theatre,  New  York,  and 
immediately  it  was  all  over  with  Blackstone. 

By  the  death  of  his  father,  Hopper  came 
into  the  possession  of  some  property,  about 
$50,000,  and,  with  the  confidence  in  his  own 
ability  born  of   ignorance  and  inexperience, 


68  Celebrated  Comedians. 

he  proceeded  to  invest  this  money  in  a 
theatrical  venture.  An  organisation,  which 
was  named  the  Criterion  Comedy  Company, 
was  gotten  together,  with  Jacob  Goshe  as 
manager  and  F.  E.  Mackay  as  the  stage- 
manager,  and  Hopper  made  his  professional 
debut  as  Talbot  Chamneys  in  "  Our  Boys." 
The  Criterion  Comedy  Company  also  in- 
cluded "  Caste  "  in  its  repertory,  but  neither 
play  seemed  to  find  remarkable  public  favour 
as  acted  by  the  aggregation,  and  consequently 
the  Criterion  Comedy  Company  concluded 
to  smash.  Thus  ended  the  first  stage  in 
the  process  of  separating  DeWolf  Hopper 
from  his  money.  The  gentle  operation  was 
continued  in  a  production  known  as  "  One 
Hundred  Wives,"  which  exploited  Ada  Gil- 
man  as  a  star.  Hopper  once  related  the 
story  of  this  enterprise  in  the  following 
characteristic  style : 

"  With  a  heart  fired  with  ambition  and  the 
dazzling   prospects    of    rich    rewards,    both 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  69 

pecuniary  and  professional,  I  left  New  York 
as  manager  of  '  The  Hundred  Wives  '  Com- 
pany. The  gaudy  visions  of  wealth  and 
fame,  which  lured  me  far  from  the  metropo- 
lis, failed  to  materialise,  but  it  was  a  season 
rich  in  experiences,  and  one  that  I  shall 
never  forget.  After  many  vicissitudes  we 
at  length  reached  Meridian,  Mississippi. 
Meridian  is  a  real  live  town,  but  a  visitor 
would  never  suspect  it,  for  its  feverish  ani- 
mation is  not  on  the  surface.  In  fact,  so 
far  below  the  surface  is  it,  that  it  is  only 
when  the  festive  earthquake  proceeds  to  lay 
bare  the  innermost  recesses  of  the  town's 
foundation  that  the  stranger  really  discovers 
the  hustle  and  bustle  which  is  going  on 
under  the  seeming  calm. 

"Being  cursed  with  a  lack  of  profundity, 
I  failed  to  discover  the  animation  that  was 
the  characteristic  of  this  centre  of  civilisa- 
tion. I  refrained  from  asking  any  delicate 
questions,  however,  not  because  T  was  want- 


yo  Celebrated  Comedians. 

ing  in  curiosity,  but  from  a  modest  disincli- 
nation to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  a  certain 
inquisitive  and  impertinent  Yankee.  With 
an  airy  freedom,  bom  of  beans  and  Boston 
east  winds,  he  had  requested  to  be  conducted 
to  a  graveyard,  at  the  same  time  insinuating 
that,  in  comparison  with  Meridian,  it  would 
be  a  scene  of  reckless  gaiety.  This  same 
breezy  stranger  incidentally  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  '  progressive  citizens '  of 
Meridian  '  were  dead,  and  wouldn't  lie  down.' 
At  a  meeting  of  the  *  progressive  citizens '  it 
was  declared  that,  though  they  might  be 
unwilling  to  accommodate  him  by  assum- 
ing a  permanently  recumbent  posture,  they 
could  be  obliging  in  other  respects.  The 
citizens,  therefore,  arranged  for  the  stran- 
ger's diversion  a  little  surprise  party,  and 
called  on  him  in  a  body  one  night.  In  spite 
of  the  stranger's  reiterated  assurances  that 
he  had  become  convinced  both  of  the  marked 
progressiveness  of  the  town  and  the  willing- 


De  Wo  If  Hopper.  71 

ness  of  its  citizens  to  oblige  him,  they  not 
only  insisted  on  raising  him  from  the  ground 
by  a  rope  fastened  over  the  limb  of  a  tree,  so 
that  from  this  eminence  he  could  the  more 
easily  survey  the  rampant  festivities  of  Merid- 
ian, but  afterward  conveyed  him  to  the 
cemetery  he  pined  for,  and  where  he  still  is. 
"  To  my  story.  We  reached  Meridian  one 
Saturday  about  11  a.m.  It  was  the  day  be- 
fore Christmas.  We  were  determined  not 
to  be  barred  out  of  giving  an  extra  Christ- 
mas matinee,  even  if  we  had  to  give  the  day 
before.  So  we  sent  a  man  through  the  town 
with  a  big  bell,  and  a  sandwich  poster  hung 
either  side  of  him,  announcing  that  the  colos- 
sal aggregation  of  talent  from  New  York 
would  give  a  matinee  promptly  at  twelve 
o'clock.  Twelve  o'clock  came,  and  not  a 
nickel  in  the  house.  I  had  often  heard  this 
expression  used  figuratively,  but  its  cold  lit- 
eral significance  never  dawned  on  me  till 
then.     The    advertising    man    was    called  in 


72  Celebrated  Comedians. 

after  consultation,  and  supplied  with  a  new 
announcement,  which  informed  the  public 
that  the  matinee  would  positively  be  given 
at  one  o'clock.  But  when  the  hands  pointed 
to  one,  to  use  the  language  of  the  advance 
agent,  'we  couldn't  get  them  in.'  This  is  to 
be  taken  in  a  literal  sense.  After  further 
conferences,  our  advertising  agent  was  again 
withdrawn  from  the  public  gaze,  and  we 
printed  a  new  poster,  which  set  forth  that 
the  curtain  would  positively  be  rung  up  at 
two  o'clock,  and  we  also  kindly  advised  the 
public  to  come  early  and  avoid  the  rush. 
Two  o'clock  came,  and  we  abandoned  all 
idea  of  giving  a  matinee. 

"  When  the  audience  assembled  that  night 
I  sized  it  up  through  a  peep-hole  in  the  cur- 
tain. There  was  not  a  woman  in  the  house, 
—  nothing  but  men,  —  and  I  discovered,  be- 
fore the  performance  was  half  over,  that  they 
were  in  various  stages  of  intoxication.  There 
was    not   a    sober   person   in    the    audience. 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  73 

Fifty-four  dollars'  worth  of  masculinity 
steeped  in  alcohol  witnessed  the  perform- 
ance. As  I  emerged  from  the  stage  en- 
trance that  night,  a  fellow,  who  was  so  full 
that  whiskey  was  running  out  of  his  ears, 
stepped  up  and  said  :  '  Shay,  I  only  saw  two 
aksh  of  the  show,  but  I'll  pay  a  dollar  any 
time  to  see  the  other  ak.'  While  the  play 
was  going  on,  a  native  walked  up  to  our 
manager,  who  was  on  the  door,  and  wanted 
to  know  how  much  it  cost  to  sit  up-stairs. 
'Fifty  cents,'  was  the  reply.  'I'm  going  up 
them  steps  for  a  quarter,'  was  the  next  an- 
nouncement, and  there  immediately  ensued 
an  animated  discussion  between  the  manager 
and  the  native,  which  was  only  terminated  by 
the  ticket-seller,  who  was  acclimated,  push- 
ing the  muzzle  of  a  revolver  through  the  box- 
office  window,  and  saying,  '  You'll  go  down 
these  stairs  for  nothing,  and  you'd  better  go 
pretty  quick.' 

"He  went,  but,  determined  to  get  square, 


74  Celebrated  Comedians. 

he  bought  a  lot  of  firecrackers  and  set  them 
off  outside  the  hall.  The  drunken  audience 
within  enjoyed  the  noise  hugely,  thinking 
it  was  part  of  the  performance.  Here  was 
a  case  where  a  man  refused  to  pay  twenty- 
five  cents  for  a  seat  and  squandered  about 
ten  dollars  on  firecrackers.  This  town  was 
the  last  straw,  so  to  speak,  and  then  and 
there  I  determined  to  bring  my  managerial 
career  to  an  end." 

Mr.  Hopper's  next  engagement  was  in 
New  York  with  Edward  Harrigan  in  "The 
Blackbird."  He  had  not  learned  in  those 
days  the  value  of  a  big  man  with  a  small 
voice.  He  had  a  big  voice,  and  when  he 
wanted  to  make  the  point  he  shouted  for  all 
he  was  worth.  This  caught  the  gallery  in 
great  shape,  and  after  the  first  night  Hopper 
went  home  immensely  pleased  with  the  hit 
he  had  made.  His  mother,  who  had  seen 
the  show,  evidently  was  not  so  much  im- 
pressed,   for   when    the    enthusiastic    youth 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  75 

demanded  her  opinion  regarding  his  success, 
she  remarked :  "  Well,  Will,  I  don't  know 
but  you'd  better  go  back  to  the   law." 

After  this.  Hopper  decided  to  study  sing- 
ing and  go  into  grand  opera,  but  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  trouble  was  hardly 
worth  the  candle,  and  when  Daniel  Frohman 
offered  him  a  place  in  the  Madison  Square 
Theatre  Company  he  gladly  accepted  it. 
This  was  in  1884.  During  the  season  he 
appeared  as  Pittacus  Green  in  "  Hazel  Kirke," 
which  was  probably  the  best  thing  that  he 
did,  and  Owen  Hathaway  in  "  May  Blossom." 
But  the  operatic  ambition  was  by  no  means 
dead,  and  he  again  made  up  his  mind  to  the 
study  for  the  musical  stage. 

"  It  was  Annie  Louise  Cary  who  first 
suggested  to  me  that  I  had  a  voice,"  said 
Mr.  Hopper,  "  and  Miss  Georgia  Cayvan 
told  me  the  same.  I  studied  under  Luigi 
Meola,  and  owe  it  entirely  to  his  training 
that   I   have   been  able  to  sing  continuously 


y6  Celebrated  Comedians. 

for  so  many  years.  There  was  a  time  when 
I  essayed  Italian  flights,  and  dreamed  of 
fame  in  grand  opera ;  but,  aware  of  the  muta- 
bihty  of  a  basso-prof  undo' s  salaried  value,  I 
abandoned  ideal  vocalisation  for  less  formid- 
able but  more  profitable  '  gagging '  arias,  and 
here  I  am.  Of  course,  I  do  a  little  straight 
singing  once  in  awhile,  but,  as  a  rule,  the 
voice  is  sacrificed  to  articulation,  especially 
in  topical  songs.  I  have  a  theory  that  no 
real  actor  can  study  acting  to  an  advantage, 
for  one  is  apt  to  acquire  the  mannerisms  of 
his  instructor  at  the  expense  of  his  own 
originality.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  art 
of  producing  a  real  laugh  or  a  real  tear  is 
one  that  can  be  learned.  Of  course,  there 
is  a  certain  mechanism,  a  few  details  of 
technique,  that  one  may  be  taught,  and  for 
those  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  McKay.  What 
little  success  I  have  had  I  owe  to  a  combina- 
tion of  circumstances  and  to  my  own  enthu- 
siasm.    You  see,  I  have  a  huge  time  in  the 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  yy 

world,  enjoy  life  thoroughly,  love  my  work, 
and  delight  in  it  so  much  that  my  audiences 
laugh  with  me,  not  at  me,  and  enjoy  them- 
selves because  I  have  such  fun  myself  — 
except  on  first  nights,  when  I  have  that 
want-to-die  feeling.  As  for  the  dancing,  that 
is  natural,  too,  save  for  the  lessons  I  had  in 
twirling  around  in  the  waltz  as  a  kid  ;  but, 
of  course,  if  I  see  a  pretty  step  anywhere 
that  I  do  not  know,  I  collar  the  dancer  and 
make  him  teach  me  if  I  dare. 

"  What's  that }  Does  it  satisfy  my  ambi- 
tion .'  Well,  yes  and  no.  It  has  its  com- 
pensations. Some  years  ago  there  was  an 
actors'  fund  benefit  in  Chicago.  Before  the 
performance  Jeff  De  Angelis  and  I  were  re- 
hearsing the  burlesque  balcony  scene  from 
Romeo  and  Juliet,  when,  to  my  horror,  I 
noticed  Signor  Salvini  looking  on  from  the 
wings.  I  thought  he  would  be  horrified  at 
our  desecration  of  Shakespeare,  but,  to  my 
surprise,   he  began   to  laugh   as   soon  as    it 


yS  Celebrated  Comedians. 

dawned  on  him  what  we  were  about,  and  he 
laughed  until  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks. 
Shortly  afterward  Salvini  went  on  to  act  the 
arena  scene  from  'The  Gladiator.'  It  was 
the  greatest  acting  I  had  ever  seen,  and  I 
was  all  choked  up  with  emotion.  As  the 
representative  of  the  actors'  fund,  it  was 
incumbent  on  me  to  thank  Salvini  for  ap- 
pearing at  the  benefit.  This  I  did  as  he 
came  off  the  stage,  before  I  had  time  to 
control  my  feelings.  As  he  spoke  very  little 
English,  I  tried  to  express  myself  in  Italian. 
The  great  actor,  noticing  my  emotion,  broke 
in  with,  '  Your  tears  speak  so  much  better 
than  your  Italian.  You  also  caused  the 
tears  to  flow  —  only  in  a  different  way.' 
When  I  went  on  to  sing  my  topical  song  at 
the  regular  performance  that  evening,  I  could 
not  help  contrasting  the  triviality  of  my  work 
with  that  of  the  great  Italian  actor,  and  I 
almost  felt  ashamed  of  my  calling.  That's 
one  incident." 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  79 

"  What  was  the  other  ?  " 

"I'm  coming  to  that.  I  was  playing  in 
Boston  some  time  after  that  benefit.  Be- 
tween the  acts  Will  Hastings  came  to  me, 
and  exclaimed,  while  shaking  me  warmly  by 
the  hand,  'God  bless  you,  Hopper!  You 
have  done  my  mother  more  good  than  could 
have  been  accomplished  by  all  the  ministers 
and  doctors  on  earth.'  He  then  told  me 
that  his  mother  had  been  inconsolable  since 
the  death  of  his  brother,  Ed.  Hastings.  She 
had  been  in  deep  mourning  for  nearly  a  year 
and  a  half.  Nothing  seemed  to  make  her 
forget  her  great  sorrow.  That  evening  he 
had  induced  her  to  take  a  drive,  and,  before 
she  had  realised  where  he  was  taking  her,  he 
had  her  inside  the  Tremont  Theatre.  Pres- 
ently some  of  my  antics  attracted  her  atten- 
tion, and  she  broke  out  in  a  hearty  laugh, 
and  then  enjoyed  herself  hugely  throughout 
the  performance.  That  settled  it.  I  said  to 
myself,  Salvini  couldn't  do  that,  and  I  made 


8o  Celebrated  Comedians. 

up  my  mind  that  I  wouldn't  exchange  my 
capacity  for  creating  wholesome  laughter  for 
any  other  profession  in  the  world." 

In  the  fall  of  1885  Mr.  Hopper  was  engaged 
for  the  McCaull  Opera  Company,  and,  at  the 
last  moment,  was  called  upon  to  take  the 
role  of  Pomeret  in  "  Desiret,"  which  was 
brought  out  at  the  Broad  Street  Opera 
House  in  Philadelphia  in  October.  He 
made  a  success  of  this,  and  forthwith  was 
established  as  the  main  comedian  of  Colonel 
McCaull's  forces.  During  the  five  years 
that  he  was  under  the  McCaull  banner,  Hop- 
per appeared  in  all  sorts  of  parts,  the  princi- 
pal operas  being  "The  Black  Hussar,"  "The 
Beggar  Student,"  "  Die  Fiedermaus,"  "  The 
Lady  or  the  Tiger,"  "  Don  Caesar,"  "  Lo- 
raine,"  "Bellman,"  "Josephine  Sold  by  Her 
Sister,"  "Falka,"  "  Folback,"  "Boccaccio," 
"The  Crowing  Hen,"  "Clover,"  "  Fatinitza," 
"  The  Begum,"  and  "  Captain  Fracasse."  His 
two  most  successful  characters,  and  the  only 


Dc  Wolf  Hopper.  8 1 

two  worthy  of  especial  commendation  in  the 
whole  list,  were  General  Ollendorf  in  "  The 
Beggar  Student,"  with  its  famous  song,  "  In 
a  Moment  of  Rapture,"  and  Pausanias  in 
"The  Lady  or  the  Tiger." 

This  opera,  by  the  way,  came  very  near 
failing  because  it  was  advertised  too  well. 
The  libretto,  which  was  written  by  Sydney 
Rosenfeld,  was  founded  on  Frank  Stockton's 
"The  Lady  or  the  Tiger."  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  conclusion  of  this  yarn  was 
never  divulged  by  the  author,  and  the  result 
of  the  hero's  choice  between  the  lady  and 
the  tiger  was  a  matter  of  nine  days'  wonder. 
There  were  innumerable  heated  discussions 
on  the  verandas  of  summer  hotels.  The  comic 
papers  caught  the  fever,  and  ingenious  bur- 
lesques on  this  fruitful  theme  were  frequent. 
However,  the  mystery  of  "  The  Lady  or  the 
Tiger"  remains  as  deep  to-day  as  ever.  It 
was  very  natural  that  the  managers  of  the 
opera,  "  The  Lady  or  the  Tiger,"  should  have 


82  Celebrated  Comedians. 

hit  upon  this  mystery  as  a  potent  means  for 
attracting  public  attention.  They  succeeded 
far  beyond  their  wildest  dreams.  "Indeed," 
declared  Mr.  Rosenfeld,  in  speaking  of  the 
instance,  "  so  keenly  alive  to  the  solution  of 
that  problem  were  the  spectators  on  the  first 
night  that  nothing  short  of  a  live  tiger  de- 
vouring the  unfortunate  tenor  before  their 
very  eyes  would  have  satisfied  them.  Of 
course,  I  couldn't  sacrifice  a  tenor  on  the 
altar  of  art  at  every  performance,  and  the 
audience  had  to  go  home  disappointed.  Busi- 
ness actually  suffered  for  several  days  because 
of  this  failure  to  meet  absurd  expectations." 

With  reference  to  his  experience  with  the 
McCaull  troupe,  Mr.  Hopper  was  asked  how 
he  worked  up  his  different  parts. 

"  You  see  this  work  is  entirely  different 
from  the  drama,"  he  answered.  "There  one 
gets  his  lines,  a  definite  character,  some- 
thing tangible  to  take  hold  of,  and  his  work 
is  to  interpret  what  some  one  else  has  created. 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  83 

In  light  opera  there  is  no  drama,  no  conti- 
nuity of  interest,  for  that  is  broken  into  all 
the  time  by  ensemble  or  topical  songs.  You 
are  an  entertainer  rather  than  an  actor, 
though,  of  course,  you  must  act  at  all  times. 
I  study  all  the  time  and  everywhere,  in  the 
street-cars,  driving,  at  the  theatre,  and  make 
mental  notes  of  anything  interesting.  I  am 
an  inveterate  reader  of  the  newspapers,  and  I 
go  to  sleep  with  an  embryo  '  gag '  on  my 
tongue.  I  have  played  two  parts  in  which  I 
really  acted,  Ollendorf  in  '  The  Beggar  Stu- 
dent,' and  Pausanias  in  'The  Lady  or  the 
Tiger ; '  but  in  everything  else  I  am  only 
seeking  after  comic  effect.  A  'gag'  is 
most  palatable  when  introduced  spontane- 
ously, as  an  outgrowth  of  the  situation,  and 
is  most  enjoyable  if  it  come  impromptu  from 
an  unexpected  situation.  Local  allusions, 
when  not  lugged  in,  but  suggested  by  some- 
thing in  the  piece,  and  brought  out  quickly, 
always  go.     An  audience  likes  to  feel  that  it 


84  Celebrated  Comedians. 

has  heard  something  new  that  no  one  else 
has  been  entertained  by." 

"  Do  you  find  it  tiresome  to  remember  and 
sustain  your  parts  ?  " 

"  Never,  with  an  appreciative  audience. 
Of  course,  after  you  play  a  part  awhile,  it 
becomes  a  part  of  your  physical  being,  and 
the  words  roll  out,  and  you  go  through  it  with 
no  brain  effort  at  all.  Then  it  is,  indeed,  mo- 
notonous, for  if  you  forget  the  lines,  you  are 
lost.  You  play  out  in  Kalamazoo,  where  the 
theatre  is  beastly  and  the  hotel  worse,  and 
where  your  one  thought  is  to  avoid  ever 
going  there  again,  and  you  play  like  a  ma- 
chine. Result,  if  a  cog  breaks  or  a  wheel 
sets,  you  are  a  wreck,  like  a  machine,  and 
cannot  pull  yourself  together  by  brain  force. 

"  I  remember  playing  '  Hazel  Kirke '  in  a 
one  night  stand  out  West.  I  had  played 
Pittacus  Green  two  hundred  times,  and  we 
hadn't  had  a  prompter  for  months.  I  had 
been   to   see  the   Wild   West   show   in   the 


DeWo/f  Hopper.  85 

afternoon,  driven  around  in  the  Deadvvood 
coach,  and  the  Indians  had  fired  into  it  until 
it  was  full  of  smoke  and  wadding.  Well, 
you  know  the  whole  plot  of  '  Hazel  Kirke  '  is 
in  the  story  Pittacus  tells  in  the  first  act, 
and,  as  I  was  going  through  that  mechani- 
cally, my  head  full  of  Indians  and  cowboys, 
all  of  a  sudden  the  lines  left  me.  I  couldn't 
think,  neither  could  the  person  playing  with 
me.  I  rushed  out,  and  called  for  Lord 
Travers.  He  came  on  without  any  collar, 
and  his  hands  covered  with  soap-suds.  Well, 
somehow  we  managed  to  wade  through,  but 
I  don't  believe  that  audience  knew  whether 
we  played  '  Hazel  Kirke '  or  '  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,'  though  the  piece  was  so  old  Mr. 
Frohman  said  he  wondered  that  the  audience 
didn't  throw  me  a  line. 

"  Another  little  experience,  illustrating  how 
mechanical  acting  can  become,  was  in  'The 
Black  Hussar.'  Cottrelly  and  I  were  sup- 
posed to  be  asleep,  but  in  my  sleep  I  had  to 


86  Celebrated  Comedians. 

tackle  a  little  musical  phrase.  It  was  diffi- 
cult to  hit  the  note  just  right,  and  sound  it 
clearly,  so  I  always  approached  that  phrase 
with  apprehension  and  caution.  On  this 
occasion  I  suddenly  realised  that  we  had 
passed  that  point  in  the  act,  but  I  had  not 
the  slightest  remembrance  of  singing  the 
phrase.  I  thought  I  must  have  been  really 
asleep,  until  after  the  act,  when  I  inquired 
and  found  that  I  had  sung  the  phrase  at  the 
right  time  and  with  better  execution  than 
usual. 

"  But  the  most  dangerous  and  hopeless 
thing  to  go  up  in  is  a  topical  verse.  In  a 
speech  you  can  usually  retain  the  thought  if 
not  the  words,  and  improvise  something  to 
keep  from  a  regular  spill,  but  every  word 
and  letter  in  a  topical  song  is  so  important 
that  you  lose  one  and  up  you  go.  I  had  that 
experience  in  Boston.  I  got  stuck  in  the 
second  line,  and  so  I  just  told  the  au- 
dience what  was   the  matter,    and    left.       I 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  Sy 

came  back,  sang  two  other  verses,  tried  it 
again  and  succeeded,  and  brought  down  the 
house.  I  have  just  as  much  trouble  with 
the  verses  I  write  myself,  and  am  just  as 
helpless  if  I  forget  a  word." 

Mr.  Hopper's  starring  career  began  in 
1890,  under  the  management  of  Locke  and 
Davis,  and  the  first  opera  brought  out  was 
"  Castles  in  the  Air."  This  was  not  a  great 
success  in  New  York,  but  it  did  very  well  on 
the  road.  Locke  and  Davis,  who  had  a  vari- 
ety of  interests  on  their  hands,  threw  up  the 
Hopper  contract,  and  the  comedian  finished 
the  season  on  his  own  responsibility.  The 
following  season,  "Wang"  was  brought  out, 
and  this  was  a  great  hit.  Hopper  presented 
this  for  two  seasons,  and  then  came  "The 
Panjandrum,"  which  did  very  well  for  a 
single  season.  "  Dr.  Syntax,"  which  was 
simply  Robertson's  "  School  "  set  to  music, 
was  produced  in  October,  1895,  and  did  well 
enough  until  a   successor  was  found  in  "  El 


88  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Capitain,"  the  last  of  the  Hopper  productions, 
which  was  brought  out  in  Boston,  on  April 
13,   1896. 

As  side  issues  Mr.  Hopper  has  once  in  a 
while  made  lapses  into  the  field  of  comedy. 
He  has  played  P'alstaff  in  "The  Merry 
Wives  of  Windsor,"  and  David  in  a  star  pro- 
duction of  "The  Rivals,"  with  a  cast  that  in- 
cluded Joseph  Jefferson  as  Bob  Acres,  Nat 
Goodwin  as  Sir  Lucius  O'Trigger,  and 
William  Crane  as  Sir  Anthony.  At  the 
close  of  the  season  of  1897-98,  Mr.  Hop- 
per took  his  company  to  London,  where 
he  presented  "  El  Capitain "  with  astonish- 
ing success.  This  was  followed  by  "Wang," 
under  the  title  of  "  The  Magic  Kiss,"  and 
this  also  did  well  until  the  war  with  the 
Boers  in  South  Africa  drew  a  dark  curtain 
over  theatrical  affairs  in  England  and  sent 
the  Americans  home  in  a  rush. 

Mr.  Hopper's  matrimonial  record  excels 
even  that  of  Lillian  Russell.     His  first  wife 


De  Wolf  Hopper.  89 

was  Ella  Gardiner,  a  beautiful  girl,  the 
daughter  of  a  professional  minstrel,  and  Mr. 
Hopper's  second  cousin  on  his  mother's  side. 
While  he  was  with  the  McCaull  company, 
Mr.  Hopper  met  Ida  Mosher,  a  pretty 
chorus  girl,  who  came  from  Boston.  The 
story  of  how  he  fell  in  love  with  Ida  Mosher 
is  told  as  follows  : 

One  day  Mr.  McCaull  surveyed  com- 
placently the  chorus  of  his  company,  and 
remarked  : 

"  Girls,  what  would  you  do  if  I  raised  your 
salaries  .<* " 

A  trim,  black-eyed  girl  at  the  end  of  the 
line  answered  : 

"  I  think  we'd  fall  dead." 

The  opportunity  to  fall  dead  did  not  come 
to  the  chorus,  but  the  opportunity  to  fall  in 
love  came  to  the  comedian,  and  he  imme- 
diately embraced  it.  Mrs.  Hopper  No.  i 
secured  a  divorce,  and  soon  after  the  decree 
was  granted   Mr.   Hopper  and  Miss  Mosher 


90  Celebrated  Comedians. 

were  married.  Seven  years  later  there  came 
another  divorce,  and  after  this  had  been 
granted  Mr.  Hopper  became  the  husband  of 
the  diminutive  Californian,  Edna  Wallace. 
She  married  Mr.  Hopper  in  1893  and  re- 
mained his  wife  until  1898,  when  a  divorce 
separated  them  also.  The  present  Mrs. 
Hopper  is  professionally  known  as  Nella 
Bergen,  and  she  was  the  sharer  of  Mr. 
Hopper's  triumphs  abroad. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

RICHARD    GOLDEN. 

Richard  Golden  will  probably  be  remem- 
bered longer  for  Old  Jed  Prouty,  that  excel- 
lent character  study  of  New  England  country 
life,  than  he  will  for  his  work  as  an  operatic 
comedian,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  larger 
part  of  his  professional  career  has  been 
passed  in  burlesque  and  light  opera.  As  a 
play,  "Old  Jed  Prouty"  was  as  near  worth- 
less as  well  could  be.  Viewed  most  charita- 
bly, it  was  an  inconsistent,  exaggerated,  and 
farcical  representation  of  life  in  a  Maine  vil- 
lage. Its  realism  was  theatrical,  rather  than 
faithful  to  the  subject  reproduced,  and  its 
character  drawing  was  crude  and  conventional. 
Old  Jed  Prouty  himself,  however,  as  acted 
91 


92  Celebrated  Comedians. 

by  Mr.  Golden,  certainly  drew  the  breath  of 
life.  Golden  brought  out  remarkably  well 
the  peculiar,  almost  unconscious  humour  of 
Scotch-like  dryness  that  is  typically  New 
England,  and  his  sentiment,  while  by  no 
means  overstocked  with  sincerity,  was  genu- 
ine enough  to  carry  with  it  partial  conviction. 
Unquestionably  "  Old  Jed  Prouty "  was 
unusually  strong  in  vitality.  That  it  had  not 
altogether  lost  its  charm  for  a  certain  class 
of  theatre-goers  after  a  dozen  years  of  more 
or  less  active  service,  was  abundantly  proved 
by  Mr.  Golden's  successful  revival  of  the  play 
in  the  fall  of  1900.  The  fact  that  it  suc- 
ceeded did  not  prove  that  it  was  a  good  play, 
however.  In  the  case  of  "  Old  Jed  Prouty," 
as  in  the  cases  of  "The  Old  Homestead," 
"Way  Down  East,"  and  other  rural  exhibi- 
tions that  have  been  accorded  large  and 
continued  public  patronage,  approval  was 
gained  by  cozening  the  public.  All  of  them 
are    melodramatically    strong    enough     and 


Richard  Golden.  93 

theatrically  effective  enough  to  reach  the 
average  man's  sentimental  weaknesses  with- 
out disturbing  overmuch  his  good  sense 
and  sound  judgment.  They  catch  his  eye 
with  a  superficial  realism,  and  they  are  ex- 
tremely careful  never  to  probe  sufficiently 
deep  to  touch  his  reasoning  powers.  Not 
one  of  these  plays  can  stand  even  the 
shadow  of  analysis.  Reproducing  faithfully 
enough  the  outward  aspects  of  certain  phases 
of  human  life,  they  are  in  every  way  false  to 
human  nature  and  recognised  human  condi- 
tions. Moreover,  they  are  crude  in  construc- 
tion, faulty  in  motive,  and  wholly  lacking  in 
originality.  If  we  pass  over  such  exceptions 
to  the  usual  order  of  things  as  James  A. 
Heme's  "Shore  Acres,"  and  "Sag  Har- 
bour," the  rural  drama  of  the  American 
stage  is  artistically  worthless. 

Mr.  Golden  produced  "  Old  Jed  Prouty " 
in  New  York  during  the  season  of  1888-89, 
and    it    took   him  at   least   a   season  firmly 


94  Celebrated  Comedians. 

to  establish  himself  in  this  unaccustomed 
line  of  work.  He  has  declared  that,  while 
his  friends  kept  pouring  pleasant  words  upon 
him,  they  killed  all  this  kindness  by  con- 
tinually expressing  surprise  that  he,  the 
burlesquer  and  professional  "funny  man," 
could  simulate  the  emotion  called  for  by  the 
character  of  "Old  Jed."  "Nearly  every- 
body," said  Golden,  in  speaking  of  the  mat- 
ter, "seemed  to  have  expected  that  I  would 
resort  to  'gags,*  dancing,  and  monkey-shines, 
regardless  of  the  play,  to  fill  out  the  even- 
ing's amusement,  and  I  guess  some  of  them 
felt  disappointed  because  I  didn't." 

Personally,  I  have  not  found  Golden 's 
work  in  opera  in  recent  years  wholly  satis- 
factory. He  has  seemed  to  lack  life  and 
zest  and  original  humour,  and  his  character- 
isations are  all  of  them  off  the  same  piece, 
formal  old  men  with  the  joy  of  living  long 
since  departed,  and  with  the  well-springs 
of   merriment,    jollity,    and    mirth    dry    and 


Richard  Golden.  95 

parched,  unsympathetic  personages,  tired  of 
the  world,  and  soured  on  humanity.  Yet  it 
was  not  always  thus,  for  in  the  eighties 
Richard  Golden  was  considered  the  most 
versatile  of  comedians.  It  was  this  versatil- 
ity, indeed,  that  caused  him  to  be  dubbed 
the  American  Misiere.  He  tells  the  story 
as  follows  : 

"It  came  about  in  1884,  I  believe.  The 
W.  T.  Carleton  Opera  Company,  of  which 
Jessie  Bartlett  Davis,  Dora  Wiley,  Alfa  Nor- 
man, Gustavus  Adolphi,  Alonzo  Hatch,  Jay 
Talor,  Rose  Beaudet,  J.  K.  Murray,  and 
one  or  two  others  were  members,  was  sing- 
ing in  San  Francisco,  and  I  was  billed  to 
play,  in  three  consecutive  operas,  parts  dif- 
fering so  widely  that  success  in  one  would 
apparently  mean  failure  in  both  the  others. 
They  were  the  Due  de  la  Volta,  a  senile, 
disgusting  old  man  of  eighty  years  old  in 
'  La  Fille  du  Tambour  Major  ; '  the  Marquis 
in  *  Merry  War,'   a  youth  of  eighteen ;  and 


g6  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Rocco  in  'The  Mascotte.'  I  made  a  big  hit 
as  the  old  man,  and  then  came  the  tug  of 
war.  You  remember  Betsy  B.  ?  She  was 
Mrs.  Joseph  Austin,  a  prominent  writer  on 
theatrical  matters  on  the  San  Francisco 
Argonaut  in  its  palmy  days,  when  Sam  Davis, 
Mark  Twain,  Bret  Harte,  and  George  Wright, 
who  was  known  as  Dan  DeQuille,  were 
among  its  contributors.  Betsy  B.  heard  that 
I  was  to  appear  as  the  Marquis  after  making 
a  hit  as  the  old  Due,  and  she  took  the  trouble 
to  go  to  the  management  and  to  protest 
against  my  doing  anything  so  palpably  absurd. 
It  would  be  sure  death  to  the  reputation  I 
had  made,  she  said.  Managers  in  those  days 
usually  listened  to  what  Betsy  B.  had  to  say, 
and  my  chances  of  playing  the  part  were 
slim.  I  insisted,  however,  that  I  could  make 
good,  and  finally  I  prevailed.  'The  Merry 
War '  was  put  on,  and  you  should  have  seen 
the  Argonaut  the  next  day !  and,  when  on 
top  of  this  I  gave  Rocco,  Betsy  B.  couldn't 


Richard  Golden.  97 

say  enough.  It  was  she  who  called  me  the 
Misiere  of  the  American  stage." 

Golden  was  born  in  Bucksport,  Maine,  the 
town  in  which  was  laid  the  scene  of  "  Old 
Jed  Prouty,"  and  there  he  passed  his  boy- 
hood. It  is  often  stated  that  his  stage  life 
began  when,  with  Henry  E.  Dixey,  he  played 
the  heifer  in  "  Evangeline  "  in  the  seventies. 
Such  was  not  the  fact,  however. 

"  I  was  in  the  theatrical  profession  ten 
years  before  I  met  Dixey,"  said  Golden.  "  I 
started  out  in  the  show  business,  when  I  was 
only  thirteen  years  old,  with  a  Mexican  cir- 
cus, known  as  Allie's  Allied  Shows,  which 
was  then  travelling  through  Maine.  That 
was  in  1866.  My  duties  were  to  write  the 
bills  in  awfully  bad  Spanish  and  make  the  an- 
nouncements of  the  different  acts  in  the  ring. 
It  was  here  that  I  got  the  confidence  in 
myself  that  afterward  served  me  in  good 
stead  on  the  stage.  In  1868  I  was  with 
Smith,  Davenport,  and  Goldie's  variety  show. 


98  Celebrated  Comedians. 

and  in  1869  Sam  Sharpley  took  me  in  hand 
and  put  me  on  the  stage  as  a  song  and  dance 
man.  After  I  left  Sharpley's  minstrels  I 
appeared  in  variety  theatres  for  several  years, 
taking  parts,  in  addition  to  doing  my  special- 
ties, in  the  whole  round  of  dramas  that  were 
popular  in  those  days.  That  was  experience 
enough  to  make  an  actor  of  any  one.  It 
was  not  until  1874  that  I  doubled  up  with 
Dixey,  and  the  following  year  we  joined 
'  Evangeline.'  " 

Before  he  left  "Evangeline,"  Mr.  Golden 
outgrew  the  hind  legs  of  the  heifer,  and 
made  a  success  of  the  eccentric  character  of 
Le  Blanc.  During  the  ten  years  that  pre- 
ceded his  production  of  "Old  Jed  Prouty," 
he  acted  over  eighty  parts  in  burlesque, 
comedy,  and  light  opera,  his  most  notable 
ones  being  the  Marquis  in  "The  Merry  War," 
and  Gaspard  in  "The  Chimes  of  Normandy." 
After  five  years  of  starring  as  Old  Jed,  which 
role  he  has  played  some  fifteen  hundred  times. 


Richard  Golden.  99 

he  was  with  Pauline  Hall.  Then  followed 
a  period  of  misfortune  and  illness,  from  which 
he  has  never  completely  recovered.  During 
the  season  of  1898-99  he  appeared  with 
Alice  Neilson  in  "The  Fortune  Teller,"  and 
the  season  following  was  in  "The  Princess 
Chic,"  acting  the  part  of  the  steward  of  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Golden  has  run 
the  entire  gamut  of  the  mimic  art,  —  from 
the  simple  song  and  dance  of  the  old-time 
variety  show  to  the  responsibilities  of  star 
comedian  in  pretentious  operatic  produc- 
tions. That  is  abundant  testimony  that  he 
was  capable  in  all  that  he  essayed,  and  it  is 
certain  that  in  old  men  characterisations  he 
was  the  equal  of  any.  Often,  however,  there 
comes  a  point  in  the  actor's  professional  life, 
when  he  apparently  reaches  the  height  of 
his  ambition.  There  he  pauses,  seemingly 
without  expectation  of  further  conquest  or 
greater  achievement.    That  point  was  reached 


TOO  Celebrated  Comedians. 

by  Richard  Golden,  when  he  Hnked  his  fame 
with  that  of  old  Jed  Prouty. 

Richard  Golden  married  his  present  wife 
when  he  was  ill  and  most  discouraged,  and 
the  brave  little  woman  helped  him  pull  him- 
self together  and  begin  anew,  after  "  Old  Jed 
Prouty  "  had  been  shelved,  and  when  Golden 
was  suffering  from  decline  and  a  nervous 
condition,  likely  to  end  fatally.  She  has  no 
great  talent  for  the  stage,  but  she  usually 
accompanies  Mr.  Golden  on  his  various  tours 
through  the  country,  watching  his  perform- 
ances night  after  night,  as  if  they  were 
always  new. 

Golden's  first  wife  was  Dora  Wiley,  a  Bos- 
ton woman  who  had  a  beautiful  soprano 
voice,  and  who,  when  Golden  married  her, 
was  one  of  the  noted  choir  singers  of  Chel- 
sea, Massachusetts.  She  was  a  feature  in 
the  Boston  concerts,  and  travelled  with  a 
quartette  coming  from  the  Hub.  Miss 
Wiley  was  married  to  Mr.  Golden  while  she 


Richard  Golden.  lor 

was  playing  Evangeline  in  Edward  Rice's 
extravaganza,  an  employment  much  frowned 
upon  by  her  Boston  admirers.  She  was  then 
a  slim,  quiet  young  woman,  but  she  grew 
stout  afterward,  though  her  voice  remained 
in  good  form  for  many  years.  She  made  a 
great  hit  in  "Merry  War,"  and  taught 
Golden  all  the  music  he  was  ever  able  to 
learn.  She  went  on  one  evening  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice,  and  played  Mme.  Favart  in 
place  of  Catherine  Lewis,  who  was  ill,  and 
her  success  was  ensured  for  ever  after  that 
eventful  night  in  New  York.  Afterward 
she  appeared  in  "Old  Jed  Prouty."  After 
her  divorce  from  Mr.  Golden,  Dora  Wiley 
went  on  the  variety  stage,  singing  tolerably, 
but  never  proving  a  great  attraction.  She 
died  several  years  ago. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

DUTCH    COMEDY    AND    ITS    DELINEATORS. 

In  the  fall  of  1895  two  variety  entertain- 
ers, who  for  many  seasons  had  been  doing 
a  Dutch  knockabout  sketch  in  the  vaudeville 
houses  of  the  country,  succeeded  in  giving 
New  York  a  sensation,  which  has  lasted  five 
years,  and  gives  reasonable  promise  of  con- 
tinued endurance  for  at  least  five  more. 
The  pair  were  Joseph  Weber  and  Lou  M. 
Fields,  known  professionally  as  the  Dutch 
Senators.  They  had  noted  the  evident  pop- 
ularity, in  the  cheaper  houses  of  the  country, 
of  the  class  of  entertainment  misnamed 
"burlesque,"  which  is  the  direct  descendant 
of  Lydia  Thompson  and  her  English  blondes. 
In   vulgar  parlance  these  "  burlesques  "  are 


JOSKPH    WKHKK. 


Dutch  Comedy  a?id  Its  Delineators.     103 

known  as  •'  leg  shows,"  and  artistically  they 
are  wholly  beneath  contempt.  They  consist 
of  a  series  of  variety  "  turns,"  sandwiched 
between  a  pointless  introductory  sketch, 
which  serves  to  place  before  the  spectators 
women  of  powerful  physique  and  uncertain 
age,  and  an  equally  pointless  after  sketch 
exactly  like  the  first  in  plan  and  scope. 

If  these  second-rate  burlesque  organisa- 
tions in  their  witless  and  absurd  entertain- 
ments can  make  money,  thought  Weber  and 
Fields,  why  would  not  a  first-class  company 
in  a  show  that  really  has  merit  make  more 
money  .-*  The  experiment  seemed  eminently 
worth  trying,  and  the  two  Dutch  comedians 
secured  a  modest  little  house  on  Broadway, 
and  without  any  fuss  or  feathers  proceeded 
to  test  their  theory.  They  got  together  the 
very  best  vaudeville  talent  in  the  business ; 
they  engaged  for  their  choruses  young  and 
pretty  women,  who  were  singers  as  well  as 
"  lookers  ; "    they  secured   clever  men,   with 


104  Celebrated  Comedians. 

reputations  as  stage  humourists,  to  write 
shows  for  them  that  should  be  far  above  the 
commonplace  productions  of  the  gagging 
actor ;  they  also  banked  heavily  on  a  wealth 
of  bright,  catchy,  melodious  music,  music 
with  tingle  and  rhythm. 

Their  success  —  well  deserved  it  was,  too, 
—  was  immediate  and  great.  But  these 
really  remarkable  men  were  by  no  means 
content,  and  season  after  season  they  fought 
for  improvement.  They  have  been  lavish  in 
expenditure,  generous  in  the  treatment  of 
the  public,  faithful  to  promises,  anxious  to 
get  the  best,  and  willing  to  make  sacrifices,  if 
necessary,  for  it.  Although  the  work  of  the 
Weber  and  Fields  Company  may  be  termed 
by  the  serious-minded  trivial  and  inconse- 
quential, the  fact  remains  that  the  company 
itself  is  in  every  respect  the  model  stock 
organisation  of  the  country.  Its  esprit  de 
corps  is  simply  wonderful,  permeating  as  it 
does  both  principals   and  chorus,   and   what 


Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Delineators.     105 

magic  panacea  the  management  uses  to 
create  harmony  among  a  collection  of  men 
and  women,  accustomed  to  first  honours  on 
the  stage,  is  indeed  a  mystery. 

Enrolled  in  the  ranks  of  the  Weber  and 
Fields  Company  during  the  season  of  1899- 
1900  were  such  prominent  players  as  Peter 
F.  Dailey,  Lillian  Russell,  David  Warfield, 
May  Robson,  Irene  Perry,  and  Charles  J. 
Ross.  The  two  leading  shows  given  were 
"  Whirl-I-Gig,"  and  a  burlesque  on  Clyde 
Fitch's  play,  "Barbara  Frietchie,"  called 
"Barbara  Fidgety."  I  suppose  that  "Whirl- 
I-Gig  "  was  put  together  by  some  one.  In 
fact,  the  playbill  credited  the  dialogue  to 
Edgar  Smith,  the  lyrics  to  Harry  B.  Smith, 
and  the  music  to  John  Stromberg.  It  was, 
however,  impossible  to  separate  the  humour 
of  the  book  from  the  fun-making  of  the 
talented  and  original  farceurs,  who  conveyed 
it  to  the  audience.  But  there  was  fine  in- 
telligence behind  the   whole   entertainment, 


io6  Celebrated  Comedians. 

a  mighty  directing  hand  that  left  nothing  to 
chance.  There  was  every  evidence  of  supe- 
rior stage  management.  The  sense  of  pro- 
portion was  excellently  preserved,  —  neither 
too  much  of  this  nor  too  little  of  that  was 
discernible,  —  and  thus  one's  appetite  was 
constantly  whetted  and  never  fully  satiated. 
Weber  and  Fields  themselves  sprung  many 
a  good  line  in  their  peculiar  dialect,  such  as 
Fields's  expostulation :  "  When  I  told  the 
hotel-keeper  that  I  expected  money  from 
home,  why  did  you  say  that  I  had  no  home  .''  " 
and  the  little  dialogue  about  the  offer  :  "  He 
says  he  will  give  ^10,000  to  the  man  who 
captures  that  bear,"  remarked  Fields.  "He 
ain't  got  the  money,"  declared  Weber.  "I 
know,"  explained  Fields,  "but  ain't  it  a  good 
offer .? " 

Not  a  little  of  the  snap  and  vim  imparted 
to  "  Whirl-I-Gig  "  was  due  to  the  remarkably 
trained  chorus.  The  girls  were  marvels  of 
spontaneity,  and  they  acted  as  if  they  were 


Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Delineators.     I07 

heart  and  soul  in  their  work,  and  as  if  they 
loved  it.  Not  for  a  moment  were  they  per- 
functory or  merely  picturesque.  Imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  the  entertainment  as  they 
were,  they  became  an  essential  part  of  the 
show  and  by  no  means  a  background  for  the 
setting  forth  of  the  star  performers. 

Naturally  enough,  the  success  of  Weber 
and  Fields  has  bred  a  multitude  of  follow- 
ers. Principal  among  these  are  the  Rogers 
Brothers.  Gus  and  Max  Rogers  made  their 
professional  appearance  together  in  1885  ^^ 
the  National  Theatre  on  the  Bowery,  New 
York  City,  while  that  house  was  under  the 
management  of  M.  Heumann.  They  were 
then  doing  a  neat  song  and  dance  act,  in 
which  they  continued  until  1889.  At  that 
time  many  of  the  old  well-known  Dutch 
comedy  teams  had  disappeared  from  the 
variety  ranks,  and  the  Rogers  Brothers  de- 
cided to  enter  that  field.  Their  first  prom- 
inent  engagement   as    a   Dutch    knockabout 


lo8  Celebrated  Comedians, 

team  was  made  during  the  latter  part  of  that 
year  at  Tony  Pastor's  Theatre,  New  York. 
They  were  engaged  for  one  week,  but  they 
made  such  a  decided  success  that,  after  their 
first  performance,  Mr.  Pastor  signed  a  con- 
tract with  them  for  the  entire  season.  The 
following  season  found  them  with  Tom 
Miaco's  City  Club  Company,  and  when  they 
closed  with  that  troupe,  they  made  their  first 
trip  West,  going  for  the  summer  with  Reilly 
and  Woods's  show.  The  following  fall  and 
winter  season,  they  were  members  of  Hart's 
Boston  Novelty  Company,  and,  on  closing 
with  that  organisation,  they  made  a  spring 
tour  with  the  Tony  Pastor  Company. 

In  1893-94,  they  organised  the  Rogers 
Brothers'  own  company,  playing  a  season  of 
thirty-three  weeks,  and  followed  this  with 
another  spring  tour  with  the  Tony  Pastor 
Company.  They  continued  with  Mr.  Pastor 
for  the  fall  season  and  then  went  with  Field 
and  Hanson's  vaudeville  company.     During 


Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Delineators.     1 09 

the  summer  of  1895,  they  made  a  trip  of 
fifteen  weeks  through  the  West,  going  to  the 
Pacific  Coast  and  playing  the  Orpheum  Cir- 
cuit. They  then  concluded  to  do  away  with 
the  knockabout,  slapstick  business  in  their 
act,  and,  on  their  return  East,  they  presented 
their  present  style  of  Dutch  comedy.  They 
were  seen  by  Donnelly  and  Girard,  who 
engaged  them  for  the  farce  comedy,  "  The 
Rain  Makers,"  with  which  they  remained 
during  the  season.  In  the  season  of  1896-97 
the  Rogers  Brothers  divided  their  time  be- 
tween Tony  Pastor  and  the  Harry  Williams 
companies,  and  for  the  most  of  the  summer 
of  1897  they  appeared  at  Koster  and  Bial's 
Roof  Garden,  New  York. 

For  the  season  of  1897-98,  they  were 
engaged  by  Klaw  and  Erlanger  to  create  the 
two  Dutch  comedy  rdles  in  "  One  Round  of 
Pleasure,"  opening  at  the  Knickerbocker 
Theatre,  New  York.  Their  work  was  the 
feature    of  the   performance,    and  they  con- 


1 1 0  Celebrated  Comedians. 

tinued  with  the  company  during  the  season. 
In  1898-99  Klaw  and  Erlanger  placed  them 
before  the  pubHc  as  stars,  providing  for  them 
a  farce  by  John  J.  McNally,  entitled  "A 
Reign  of  Error."  This  was  a  great  success, 
and  was  followed  in  1899- 1900  with  another 
entertainment  by  the  same  author,  "The 
Rogers  Brothers  in  Wall  Street,"  which  may 
be  taken  as  a  typical  Rogers  Brothers  enter- 
tainment. 

A  dozen  years  ago,  when  Charles  Hoyt 
was  the  leading  American  dramatist,  jumbles 
of  play-acting,  song,  dance,  and  ludicrous 
absurdities  were  known  as  farce  comedies. 
But  farce  comedy  is  now  old-fashioned.  The 
up-to-date  designation  is  vaudeville  farce,  and 
that  is  the  descriptive  title  which  Mr.  Mc- 
Nally fastened  to  his  "  Rogers  Brothers  in 
Wall  Street."  To  be  sure,  "  In  Wall  Street  " 
was  many  times  more  gorgeous  in  respect  to 
scenery,  costumes,  and  other  accessories  than 
anything  which  Hoyt  ever  dreamed  of  in  the 


Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Delineators,      ill 

humble  days  of  his  early  successes,  but  other- 
wise the  McNally  composition  in  no  whit 
departed  from  the  simple-minded  humour  and 
the  bucolic  wit  of  the  style  of  entertainment 
known  as  farce  comedy. 

Hoyt  and  McNally  resemble  one  another 
in  the  odd  particular  of  giving  what  is  indef- 
initely known  as  a  "  clean  "  show.  Their  lines 
may  be  —  and,  indeed,  often  are  —  rudely 
pointed  and  slangy  offscourings  from  the  con- 
versational idiom  of  the  cheap  "sport,"  but 
they  are  at  the  same  time  free  from  smut  and 
suggestiveness.  Their  situations  would,  per- 
haps, be  slightly  shocking  to  pink  tea  society, 
but  they  are  harmless  enough,  for  all  that. 
Hoyt,  in  his  prime,  was,  I  think,  the  more 
original  of  the  two  in  his  dramatic  concep- 
tions, though  that  does  not  signify  a  great 
deal.  He  had  a  knack  of  hitting  off  types  of 
character,  —  mostly  comic  paper  types,  how- 
ever, —  and  a  trick  of  devising  noisy  situa- 
tions, but  his  gifts  in  the  dialogue  line  were 


1 1 2  Celebrated  Comedians. 

meagre.  McNally,  on  the  other  hand,  does 
not  bother  himself  about  types  of  characters, 
—  his  actors  do  that  for  him,  —  and  although 
he  has  a  pretty  wit,  he  has  not  of  late  years 
troubled  himself  to  any  wearying  extent  over 
his  dialogue.  His  plots  —  when  one  wishes 
to  be  polite  he  calls  them  plots — are  not 
indicative  of  sleepless  nights  nor  a  constantly 
steaming  dome  of  thought,  and  his  situations 
are  what  one  might  expect  from  a  man  whose 
business  it  is  to  see  other  men's  plays. 

In  fact,  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover 
that  Mr.  McNally  cares  very  much  about  any- 
thing. Yet  he  is  successful  from  the  pecu- 
niary point  of  view.  Delighted  multitudes 
fight  for  opportunities  to  hand  their  money 
into  his  keeping.  And  why  }  Did  May 
Irwin  make  John  J.  McNally  or  did  John  J. 
McNally  make  May  Irwin  1  Who  was  respon- 
sible for  the  dollar  magnetism  of  "  The  Rogers 
Brothers  in  Wall  Street,"  McNally  or  the 
Rogers  Brothers  }     It  seems  to  me  that  Mr. 


Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Delineators.     1 1 3 

McNally,  more  than  any  other  maker  of  plays 
now  before  the  public,  has  mastered  the  art 
of  avoiding  obstacles.  He  realises  that 
laughter  in  the  theatre  is,  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  a  physical  phenomenon,  that  it  is  the 
involuntary  tribute  habitually  paid  the  antique 
and  the  familiar,  and  that  it  is  almost  never 
the  result  of  intellectual  appreciation  of  a 
joke  or  a  witty  conceit.  Mr.  McNally  recog- 
nises that  nothing  is  quite  so  serious  on  the 
stage  as  original  humour.  Years  ago,  before 
Mr.  McNally  formulated  and  followed  this 
ingenious  theory,  he  sometimes  jeopardised 
the  success  of  his  productions  by  inserting 
original  ideas.  He  has  quit  altogether  such 
foolhardy  aggressiveness  ;  he  ensures  constant 
hilarity  by  being  consistently  commonplace. 

Again,  Mr.  McNally  never  embarrasses  his 
actors  by  suggesting  that  they  do  something 
which  they  have  never  done  before.  He  does 
not  bother  them  to  any  great  extent  with  the 
necessity  of  memorising  new  lines.      If  they 


1 1 4  Celebrated  Comedians. 

have  some  sayings  of  their  own,  hoary-headed 
"gags,"  which  please  them,  Mr.  McNally 
adopts  the  remarks  willingly ;  if  they  have  a 
little  business,  which  they  are  convinced  is  a 
good  thing,  Mr.  McNally  accepts  it  eagerly. 
Thus  it  comes  to  pass  that  in  the  course  of 
time  the  rarest  thing  in  a  McNally  farce  is 
McNally  himself.  Lest  I  be  misunderstood, 
let  me  say  right  here  that  I  like  Mr.  Mc- 
Nally's  work  immensely.  There  was  any 
amount  of  fun  in  "The  Rogers  Brothers  in 
Wall  Street."  It  was  what  an  enthusiast 
would  call  a  "  bully  show,"  and  few  there 
were  who  could  resist  the  sober-minded  Gus 
Rogers  in  combination  with  the  more  sophis- 
ticated Max. 

Prominent  in  the  Dutch  comedy  field  is 
Sam  Bernard,  for  several  seasons  with  Weber 
and  Fields,  and  recently  a  prominent  feature 
in  New  York  productions  of  "The  Man  in 
the  Moon "  class.  Bernard  was  born  in 
Birmingham,  England,  on  June  3,  1863,  and 


Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Deliyieators.    i  i  5 

came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  when 
he  was  four  years  old.  His  first  appearance 
on  the  stage  was  made  in  1876  at  the  Grand 
Duke  Theatre,  at  the  comer  of  Baxter  and 
Worth  Streets  in  New  York,  when  he  and 
his  brother  Dick,  billed  as  the  Bernard  Broth- 
ers, did  a  sketch  on  the  order  of  those  made 
popular  by  Harrigan  and  Hart.  The  brothers 
appeared  together  in  the  variety  theatres  of 
the  country  until  1S84,  when  Sam  joined 
Keith's  Providence  Theatre  stock  company 
for  the  season,  playing  comedy  roles.  During 
the  summer  of  1885  he  visited  London  and 
acted  in  the  leading  music  halls.  On  his 
return  to  this  country  he  created  the  part 
of  the  bad  boy  in  Daniel  Sully's  "The 
Corner  Grocery,"  and  for  two  seasons  after 
that  played  the  principal  comedy  role  in 
"  Lost  in  London." 

In  1888  he  joined  Robert  Manchester's 
Night  Owls,  with  which  he  continued  for 
three  years,  when  he  became  principal  come- 


1 1 6  Celebrated  Comedians. 

dian  and  part  proprietor  with  Mr.  Manchester 
of  the  French  Folly  company.  After  several 
successful  seasons  he  became  connected  with 
Weber  and  Fields,  and  toured  with  the  Rus- 
sell Brothers'  comedians,  acting  as  manager 
the  second  season.  When  Weber  and  Fields 
organised  the  Vaudeville  Club,  Bernard  was 
placed  in  charge  of  it,  and  carried  it  on  with 
much  success.  Then  he  joined  Weber  and 
Fields's  Broadway  Theatre  Company,  in  which 
he  was  prominent  until  within  a  year. 

Sam  Bernard's  Dutch  comedy  differs  in 
no  fundamental  form  from  the  Dutch  comedy 
of  Weber  and  Fields  and  the  Rogers  Broth- 
ers, in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  works  by 
himself  and  they  work  in  pairs.  His  twist- 
ing of  the  English  language,  and  his  conceits 
in  the  misuse  and  coining  of  words,  may  be 
a  trifle  more  intricate  than  theirs,  but  the 
difference  is  only  one  of  degree  and  not  at 
all  of  kind.  Both  Weber  and  Fields  and  the 
Rogers    Brothers,    however,    cling   faithfully 


Dutch  Comedy  and  Its  Delineators.     1 1 7 

to  the  conventional  stage  Dutchman  make-up, 
in  which  they  gained  their  reputations  in  the 
varieties.  Bernard,  on  the  other  hand,  is  not 
in  the  least  adverse  to  a  different  face  and 
a  change  of  raiment  now  and  then. 

The  popularity  that  this  form  of  Dutch 
comedy  has  recently  acquired  is  impossible 
of  explanation  beyond  the  fact  that  it  is  to 
a  considerable  extent  the  result  of  the  repu- 
tation honestly  earned  by  Weber  and  Fields 
in  New  York.  The  stage  Dutchman  is 
probably  as  old  as  the  variety  show  itself, 
and  he  has  not  changed  materially  for  at 
least  a  generation.  He  is  always  a  stupid, 
clumsy,  blundering  fellow,  to  be  laughed  at 
rather  than  to  laugh  with,  more  often  than 
not  the  unconscious  butt  for  cheap  wit  and 
senseless  practical  jokes.  The  stage  Dutch- 
man, as  a  type  of  humour,  cannot  be  ranked 
very  high.  He  is  without  subtilty,  refine- 
ment, or  intellectuality. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THOMAS    Q.    SEABROOKE. 

Thomas  Q.  Seabrooke  began  his  profes- 
sional career  as  a  leading  juvenile.  After 
several  seasons  of  heroics  he  discovered  by 
chance  that  he  was  a  better  comedian  than  he 
was  a  juvenile,  and  his  comedy  talent  before 
very  long  introduced  him  to  farce  comedy  of 
the  Charles  H.  Hoyt  type.  The  step  from 
Hoyt  farces  to  comic  opera  was  a  short  one, 
and  there  the  actor  seems  to  be  permanently 
fixed.  Since  his  great  success  with  "  The 
Isle  of  Champagne,"  Mr.  Seabrooke  has 
several  times  striven  to  return  to  the  drama 
proper,  but  apparently  the  public  is  unwilling 
that  he  should  do  anything  more  serious  than 
low  comedy  in  extravaganza  and  burlesque, 
ii8 


Thomas  Q.   Seabrooke.  1 1 9 

and  recently  he  has  with  apparent  willing- 
ness settled  down  to  eccentric  Irish  types 
such  as  his  Maginnis  Pasha  in  "The 
Rounders." 

Seabrooke's  Irishman  bears  only  a  passing 
resemblance  to  the  conventional  stage  Irish- 
man of  the  varieties,  and  he  encroaches  in  no 
way  on  the  field  so  thoroughly  cultivated  by 
Edward  Harrigan.  Harrigan's  Irishmen  are 
all  New  Yorkers.  They  have  cleansed  their 
boots  of  the  sod,  have  ceased  to  look  upon 
the  hod  as  a  natural  means  of  livelihood,  and 
have  turned  toward  politics,  in  which  they 
thrive  and  flourish  as  the  green  bay-tree. 
They  are  sophisticated  in  the  ways  of  the 
world,  and  they  have  a  keen  appreciation  of 
the  main  chance  and  a  careful  regard  for  the 
morrow.  Seabrooke's  Irishman,  on  the  other 
hand,  more  nearly  approximates  the  Celt  of 
romance.  Happy-go-lucky,  improvident,  and 
bubbling  over  with  rollicking  jollity  and  un- 
cultivated mirth,  he  accepts  with  ready  com- 


I20  Celebrated  Comedians. 

placency  whatever  fate  has  in  store  for  him 
and  adjusts  himself  with  instinctive  ease  to 
whatever  situation  chance  places  him  in. 
Rude  of  manner  he  certainly  is,  unrestrained 
in  appetite  as  well,  and  when  in  his  cups 
a  blunderer,  a  blusterer,  and  a  bully.  Yet 
one  likes  him,  loves  him  for  his  impulsive- 
ness, his  heartiness,  his  simplicity,  and  his 
honesty,  for  the  rich  burr  in  his  speech  and 
for  his  mother  wit,  that  is  irrepressible  and 
irresistible. 

Mr.  Seabrooke  has  never  been  successful 

—  for  which  we  should  indeed  be  thankful 

—  in  shaking  off  entirely  the  influence  of 
his  early  experiences  in  play  acting.  He 
remains  to  this  day  more  of  a  creator  of 
character  than  the  majority  of  his  contem- 
poraries in  operatic  work.  With  all  his 
exaggerations  and  extravagances,  he  is  more 
an  actor  than  he  is  a  buffoon.  He  is  legiti- 
mate in  his  fun-making,  not  completely  the 
slave  to  mannerisms  and  gymnastic  contor- 


Thomas  Q.   Scabrooke.  I2I 

tions,  free  in  jest  and  spontaneous  in  humour, 
exceedingly  apt  in  extracting  his  sport  from 
the  dramatic  situations  instead  of  lugging  it 
in  bodily  where  there  is  not  the  slightest 
excuse  for  its  presence.  In  spite  of  the  fact 
that  he  has  recently  confined  himself  largely 
to  a  single  type  of  character,  he  is  a  versatile 
fellow.  He  proved  that  in  "The  Isle  of 
Champagne,"  where  his  diverse  gifts  as  an 
entertainer  seemed  indeed  limitless. 

Thomas  Quigley  Seabrooke  —  his  name 
was  originally  Thomas  Quigley,  though  the 
Seabrooke  is  now  his  by  legal  right  —  was 
born  in  Mount  Vernon,  New  York,  on  Octo- 
ber 20,  i860.  He  went  to  school  until  he 
was  eleven  years  old,  and  then  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  East  Chester  National  Bank. 
The  position  was  procured  for  him  by  J.  H. 
Price,  whose  intention  it  was  to  have  the 
youth  remain  in  the  bank  for  three  years,  and 
then  study  law  in  Mr.  Price's  office.  These 
plans  were  completely  nullified,  however,  by 


122  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Mr.  Price's  death  in  a  shipwreck  in  1872. 
Young  Seabrooke  remained  in  the  bank  until 
the  charter  of  the  institution  was  sold,  when 
he  became  teller  in  the  private  banking  house 
of  J.  M.  Masterson  &  Company.  "  During 
my  nine  years  of  banking  experience," 
remarked  Mr.  Seabrooke,  "  I  didn't  average 
two  days  a  year  away  from  the  bank,  and  the 
close  confinement  told  on  me.  I  made  up 
my  mind  that  I  had  to  make  a  change,  and 
I  determined  to  try  the  stage." 

Mr.  Seabrook  "  tried  the  stage  "  by  invest- 
ing all  the  money  that  he  had  saved  in  a 
summer  stock  company  at  Newark,  New  Jer- 
sey, under  the  management  of  Frank  Wills. 
Hot  weather  killed  the  enterprise,  and  Sea- 
brooke retired  from  the  partnership  minus  his 
capital.  His  professional  d^but  as  an  actor 
was  made  at  Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  on 
September  11,  1880,  as  Bertie  Cecil  in  a  play 
called  "  Cigarette,"  a  dramatisation  of  Ouida's 
"Under   Two    Flags."       The    dramatisation 


Thomas  Q.    Seabrooke.  123 

was  made  by  Henry  F.  Stone,  the  son  of  the 
Stone  who  did  "  Metamora"  for  Edwin  For- 
rest, and  Amy  Stone  was  the  star  of  the  com- 
pany. "Cigarette,"  however,  burned  itself 
out  in  a  very  short  time. 

"  I  tell  you  I  was  a  real  actor  at  that  time," 
declared  Mr.  Seabrooke.  "  The  day  after  my 
d^but  I  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  that  the 
very  worst  actor  that  ever  was  seen  in  Wes- 
terly was  Thomas  Seabrooke,  who  was  playing 
in  '  Cigarette.'  I  just  chewed  up  the  scenery 
and  dragged  myself  about  the  stage,  I  was 
such  a  real  actor  and  acted  so  hard.  I 
remember  that  there  were  two  boys  who  did 
a  song  and  dance  act  in  one  scene.  Why,  I 
wouldn't  walk  on  the  same  side  of  the  street 
with  those  boys.  They  were  not  in  my  class. 
I  was  ambitious  in  those  days.  If  any  one 
had  waylaid  me  he  would  have  found  *  Romeo 
and  Juliet  *  in  one  pocket  and  '  Lady  of  Lyons ' 
in  the  other,  but  nary  a  nickel.  I  went 
around  all  the  time  reciting  the  most  tragic 


124  Celebrated  Comedians. 

or  the  most  sentimental  scenes  I  could  find 
in  the  play  books." 

Mr.  Seabrooke  next  played  with  Helen 
Coleman,  doubling  the  parts  of  Tim  Crane 
and  Jeff  Maguire  in  "  Widow  Bedot."  He 
remained  with  her  until  July,  1881,  when  the 
company  stranded  at  Jackson,  Michigan. 
Soon  after  his  return  to  New  York  he  accom- 
panied W.  H.  Lytell  to  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia, 
and  acted  for  a  time  with  a  local  stock  com- 
pany. During  the  season  of  1881-82,  Mr. 
Seabrooke  acted  the  detective  in  "  Rooms  to 
Rent,"  with  L.  M.  Seaver,  and  the  following 
summer  he  again  joined  Mr.  Lytell  in  Halifax. 
In  the  fall  he  created  the  character  of  John 
Mandamus  in  "  Irish  Aristocracy,"  and  in 
this  part  made  his  first  appearance  in  New 
York  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  on  Thanksgiv- 
ing Day,  1882.  Another  brief  summer  season 
in  Canada  followed,  though  he  got  to  Phila- 
delphia in  time  to  marry  Elvia  Crox  in  July, 

At  the  opening  of  the  season  of  1883-84, 


Thomas  Q.   Seabrooke.  1 25 

Mr.  Seabrooke  succeeded  Nelson  Decker  in 
"  One  of  the  Finest,"  with  Gus  Williams,  but 
after  three  months  joined  Jeffreys  Lewis  as 
juvenile  man,  and  opened  in  "  The  Ruling  Pas- 
sion," in  which  he  played  Tom  Coatbridge. 
He  accompanied  Miss  Lewis  to  San  Francisco 
and  remained  with  her  during  the  stock  season 
at  the  Baldwin  Theatre.  On  his  return  East 
in  March,  he  joined  Wood's  stock  company 
at  the  Bijou,  afterward  Forepaugh's  Theatre 
in  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  for  two 
months,  leaving  to  accept  a  special  engage- 
ment with  Ad.  Nuendorf  in  "'97-79  "  at  the 
Third  Avenue  Theatre.  Four  weeks  in 
"  Mrs.  Partington,"  in  Boston  and  Providence, 
ended  this  season. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  season  of  1884-85, 
Seabrooke  supported  Barney  McAuley  in 
"  The  Jerseyman"  and  "  The  Member  from 
Jarvis  Section,"  but  in  October  the  salaries 
fell  in  arrears  and  Seabrooke  resigned  from 
this  company,  accepting  a  three  months'  note 


126  Celebrated  Comedians. 

for  the  money  due.  He  is  always  careful  to 
state  that  Mr.  McAuley  promptly  met  this 
note  when  it  matured.  After  the  McAuley 
fiasco,  Mr.  Seabrooke  became  a  member  of 
George  Holland's  company,  playing  leading 
parts  in  his  light  comedies,  and  it  was  in  this 
company  that  he  discovered  by  accident  that 
he  was  a  character  comedian. 

"After  playing  his  round  of  fine  pieces," 
said  Mr.  Seabrooke  in  telling  the  story,  "  Hol- 
land decided  to  give  that  old  standby,  '  Ten 
Nights  in  a  Barroom.'  But  he  could  find  no 
comedian,  though  he  searched  for  one  dili- 
gently, and  he  had  about  concluded  to  give  it 
up  when  he  thought  of  me.  When  he  pro- 
posed that  I  take  the  comic  role,  at  first  I 
was  indignant.  Then  it  dawned  upon  me 
that  the  notion  was  funny,  and  finally,  after 
an  inducement  in  the  way  of  a  ten-dollar 
increase  in  salary,  I  took  hold  and  made  a 
distinct  hit." 

An  engagement  with  William  Gill's  "  Two 


Thomas  Q.   Seabrooke.  127 

Bad  Men "  brought  Seabrooke  into  farce 
comedy.  He  was  cast  for  the  small  part  of 
the  detective,  and  made  another  hit.  Busi- 
ness was  not  what  it  might  have  been,  and  the 
company  brought  its  season  prematurely  to 
an  end  in  Indianapolis.  Seabrooke  landed  on 
his  feet,  however,  and  secured  the  part  of 
Count  de  Mornay  in  "  A  Celebrated  Case  "  to 
play  on  the  road.  From  this  he  went  to 
the  Union  Square  Theatre  in  New  York,  and 
on  April  5,  1885,  opened  with  Estelle  Clay- 
ton, acting  the  Earl  of  Esmond  in  "  Favette." 
After  a  supplementary  season  on  the  road 
in  "The  Danites,"  "49,"  "After  Dark," 
and  "  Her  Atonement,"  he  entered  the  farce 
comedy  field  once  more,  with  J.  B.  Dickson  in 
"  Aphrodite,"  in  which  he  made  another  suc- 
cess, although  the  piece  itself  was  short-lived. 
Next  he  was  seen  under  the  management 
of  Samuel  Colville  as  Mose  Jewel  in  "The 
World,"  at  the  People's  Theatre  in  New  York, 
and  then  he  had  a  short  season  with  Louise 


128  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Pomeroy.  After  that  he  created  the  part  of 
Oleo  Mashering  in  George  Hoey's  farce, 
"  Keep  It  Dark,"  appearing  in  the  large  cities 
and  winding  up  with  two  weeks  at  the  Eighth 
Avenue  Theatre,  New  York.  Later  he 
appeared  at  the  Standard  in  A.  C.  Gunter's 
play,  "  A  Wall  Street  Bandit,"  assuming  the 
part  of  Gentlemanly  Jimmy.  While  with  this 
company  he  made  arrangements  to  go  into 
partnership  with  Charles  W.  Bowser  in  a  pro- 
duction of  the  Augustin  Daly  success,  "  Dol- 
lars and  Sense."  The  company  opened  in 
Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  on  December  20, 
1886.  The  enterprise  was  not  successful,  and 
the  company  soon  after  disbanded  at  the 
Windsor  Theatre,  New  York. 

Then  came  Seabrooke's  first  engagement 
with  Charles  H.  Hoyt,  Seabrooke  appearing 
as  the  Italian  and  the  Soldier  in  "A  Tin 
Soldier "  at  Colonel  Sinn's  Park  Theatre  in 
Brooklyn.  He  remained  with  the  company 
until  the  end  of  the  season,  and  the  following 


Tliumas  Q.   Stabivoke.  129 

fall  he  accepted  the  part  of  the  Plumber  for  the 
season  of  1886-87.  In  September,  1888,  he 
appeared  with  Kate  Castleton  in  "A  Paper 
Doll,"  and  continued  with  her  until  Novem- 
ber, when  he  made  his  first  venture  in  comic 
opera,  accepting  an  offer  from  Wellar  and 
Spenser  to  take  the  role  of  General  Knicker- 
bocker in  "  The  Little  Tycoon."  Asked  how 
he  happened  to  go  into  opera  after  his  varied 
experience  in  the  drama,  Mr.  Seabrooke 
replied  : 

"  Oh,  that  was  dead  easy.  I  liked  to  hear 
myself  sing.  I  don't  think  any  one  else 
thought  I  could  sing,  and  that  spurred  me  on 
to  show  them  that  I  could.  I  got  into  '  The 
Little  Tycoon,'  and  I  liked  it  first-rate,  and 
ever  after  that  I  had  the  comic  opera  bee  in 
my  bonnet.  I  was  getting  one  hundred  and 
ten  dollars  a  week,  and  at  that  figure  Hoyt 
engaged  me  for  *  The  Midnight  Bell.'  I  was 
to  play  Deacon  Tidd.  When  I  asked  him 
about  the  part,  he  told  me  it  was  a  sort  of 


130  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Denman  Thompson  part,  a  New  England 
countryman.  '  Very  well,  '  I  replied,  '  then  I 
don't  care  to  play  it.'  Why  ?  Because, 
I  thought  if  I  went  into  a  part  like  that,  I 
was  only  falling  behind  Thompson.  I  was 
simply  not  in  his  class  in  that  line  of  work, 
and  consequently  would  be  virtually  on  the 
shelf.  So  Hoyt  told  me  to  go  ahead  and 
build  up  the  character  as  I  chose.  I  asked 
him  to  tell  me  all  he  knew  about  the  part, 
then  I  read  the  lines  over  and  over,  and 
listened  carefully  to  everything  that  the 
other  characters  said  about  the  Deacon  until 
the  part  began  to  take  possession  of  me.  It 
began  to  get  up  in  the  morning  with  me,  and 
to  walk  along  the  street  with  me,  until  finally 
I  had  it  down  fine.  In  those  days  I  did  not 
act  at  rehearsal.  I  couldn't.  In  the  first 
place,  I  am  a  little  shy,  and  when  I  made 
them  laugh  I  was  always  confused  and  could 
not  be  sure  that  they  were  not  guying  me. 
For  those  reasons  a  sort  of  self-consciousness 


Thomas  Q.   Scabrooke.  1 3 1 

prevented  me  from  being  able  to  give  any 
idea  of  a  part  as  I  was  to  act  it.  I  think  that 
Hoyt,  as  he  watched  me,  became  very  nervous 
and  doubtful  about  me.  However,  if  you 
remember  the  role,  it  was  a  great  success." 

When  reminded  of  the  story  that  Deacon 
Tidd  was  said  to  be  a  photographic  reproduc- 
tion of  an  old  man  up  in  Mr.  Hoyt's  district 
in  New  Hampshire,  Mr.  Seabrooke  laughed. 
"  No,"  he  replied,  "  I  originated  the  Deacon, 
I  made  him  up  and  acted  him  out  of  my 
imagination.  So  far  as  I  know,  he  never 
existed  anywhere  else.  That  must  have  been 
a  newspaper  story,  or  he  may  have  been 
discovered  afterward. 

"  Well,  at  any  rate.  Deacon  Tidd  did  not 
cure  me  of  the  conceit  of  liking  to  hear  my 
voice.  I  wanted  to  sing.  I  was  very  daring 
about  it,  too.  There  was  nothing  in  the  way 
of  technical  difficulties  that  could  phase  me  ; 
why,  tasks  that  Jean  de  Reszke  might  have 
staggered  at  did  not  disturb  me.     I  just  went 


132  Celebrated  Comedians. 

right  at  it  and  sang  away  in  perfect  confidence. 
The  success  of  Deacon  Tidd,  I  might  add, 
doubled  my  salary.  I  got  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  a  week  for  that." 

Mr.  Seabrooke  first  appeared  as  Deacon 
Tidd  in  "A  Midnight  Bell  "  on  February  18, 
1889.  The  following  fall  he  appeared  in 
some  of  the  Western  cities  in  the  opera 
"King  Cole,"  which  DeWolf  Hopper  after- 
ward made  so  familiar  under  the  title  of 
"  Wang."  Then  he  starred  under  the  manage- 
ment of  John  A.  Hamblin,  of  Chicago,  in  "  The 
Fakir."  In  May,  1890,  he  created  the  part 
of  Cabolastro  in  "  Castles  in  the  Air  "  with 
DeWolf  Hopper.  Seabrooke  built  up  this 
role  by  studying  the  methods  of  DeWolf 
Hopper  and  then  doing  exactly  what  Hopper 
did  not  do.  Moreover,  it  was  his  little 
drunken  scene  in  "  Castles  in  the  Air  "  that 
suggested  to  Charles  Alfred  Byrne  and  Louis 
Harrison  "The  Isle  of  Champagne,"  Sea- 
brooke's    greatest    success.       After    seeing 


Thomas  Q.   Seabrooke.  133 

Seabrooke  do  the  brief  act  in  "Castles  in 
the  Air,"  they  remarked  that,  if  they  could 
get  up  an  opera  in  which  Seabrooke  could 
do  half  a  dozen  different  varieties  of  inebria- 
tion, it  would  be  something  great.  Thus  it 
was  that  "  The  Isle  of  Champagne "  was 
inspired. 

Previous  to  the  production  of  "The  Isle 
of  Champagne,"  however,  Seabrooke  starred 
in  Bill  Nye's  curious  farce,  "The  Cadi," 
which  had  run  for  three  months  in  New 
York  when  Seabrooke  met  with  an  accident 
which  laid  him  up  for  some  time.  "  While  I 
was  sitting  there  with  my  leg  in  a  plaster 
cast,  sticking  out  straight  in  front  of  me," 
said  Mr.  Seabrooke,  "  my  desire  to  sing  came 
back  again  to  me.  I  used  to  pick  the  strings 
of  a  banjo  hour  after  hour  and  sing  every- 
thing I  knew,  so  it  did  not  require  any  urging 
to  induce  me  to  go  into  '  The  Isle  of  Cham- 
pagne.' " 

That  was  brought  out  in  May,   1892,  and 


134  Celebrated  Comedians. 

King    Pommery    Sec'nd    continued    popular 
until  the  spring  of   1894,  when  "Tobasco" 
was    produced    in    Boston.       "The    Isle   of 
Champagne "  had  no  elaborate  nor  intricate 
plot,  but,  better  than  that,  it  had  an  original 
idea  and  plenty  of  dash  and  more  than  its 
fair   quota   of   fun.      Still,    it    was   doubtful 
whether,   without    Mr.    Seabrooke's   peculiar 
virtuosity  and  decided  versatility  as  an  enter- 
tainer, it  would  have  made  one  iota  of  the 
hit   that   it   did.     The  story  dealt  with  the 
fortunes  of  King  Pommery  Sec'nd,  ruler  of 
the  Isle  of  Champagne.     He  was  descended 
from   a  colony   that  had   been    driven   from 
France  about  the  time  of  Charlemagne,  and 
neither  he  nor  any  of  his  subjects  had  ever 
seen   a   foreign   face.     Naturally,  there  was 
excitement    a-plenty    in    this  secluded   king- 
dom when  a  vessel  from  New  Bedford  was 
wrecked  on  the  coast  of  the  Isle,  and  three 
persons  from   it   were   saved.      This   excite- 
ment, however,   was  not  a   circumstance  to 


Thomas  Q.   Seabrooke.  135 

that  caused  by  the  discovery  aboard  the  ship 
of  a  strange  beverage  called  water,  which  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Isle  had  never  before  tasted. 
For  nine  hundred  years  they  had  drunk  only 
champagne,  the  wine  of  their  fathers.  Con- 
sequently, for  the  first  time  in  their  history, 
the  citizens  of  the  Isle  learned  what  it  was  to 
be  sober  —  all  except  the  King,  who  did  not 
take  kindly  to  the  new  fangled  drink.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  go  further  into  the  story  of 
the  opera,  for  this  outline  shows  the  fun- 
making  possibilities.  A  laughable  incident 
was  the  King's  great  enjoyment  of  a  copy 
of  Joe  Miller's  "  Jest  Book  "  with  its  many 
hoary  "gags."  Mr.  Seabrooke  is  fond  of 
telling  how  a  man  who  reviewed  the  opera 
for  a  certain  small  city  newspaper  once 
called  the  comedian  down  for  having  the 
nerve  to  perpetrate  on  an  unsuspecting 
public  humour  so  antiquated  as  that  in  Joe 
Miller's  book.  So  there  evidently  was  one 
person  who  did  not   see  the  point. 


136  Celebrated  Comedians. 

The  best  thing  about  "  Tobasco,"  originally 
produced  in  Boston  in  January,  1 894,  by  the 
First  Corps  of  Cadets,  and  brought  out  by 
Mr.  Seabrooke  in  the  same  city  on  the  April 
9th  following,  was  the  music  by  George  W. 
Chadwick,  which  was  in  complete  contrast 
with  R.  A.  Barnet's  stupid  libretto.  Mr. 
Chadwick's  score  was  for  the  most  part 
tuneful,  appropriate  to  the  situation,  often 
humourous  in  suggestion,  and  always  inter- 
esting to  the  musician  as  well  as  to  the  per- 
son with  a  fine  appreciation  for  harmonised 
noise.  "  Tobasco  "  was  afterward  revised 
and  rechristened  "The  Grand  Vizier,"  and 
it  dragged  its  weary  length  through  a  season, 
always  losing  money,  and  finally  costing  Mr. 
Seabrooke  practically  all  that  he  had  made 
with  "The  Isle  of  Champagne." 

After  this  failure  Seabrooke's  thoughts 
turned  longingly  once  more  to  the  "  legiti- 
mate." "  It  was  John  W.  Norton,  who  brought 
out    Mary  Anderson,"   Seabrooke   once    ex- 


Thomas  Q.   Scabrooke.  137 

plained,  "who  first  advised  me  very  strongly 
to  get  right  out  of  comic  opera.  A  few 
weeks  later  I  ran  across  Nat  Goodwin  in 
Cincinnati,  and  took  dinner  with  him.  He 
began  to  talk  with  me  along  the  same  line. 
He  assured  me  that  a  comedian  must  have  a 
heart  interest  in  his  work,  or  his  life  was 
short  as  a  successful  man.  Of  course,  Nat 
himself  was  a  most  admirable  proof  of  the 
truth  of  what  he  said,  I  listened  to  him  in 
amazement.  '  Has  John  Norton  been  talking 
to  you  } '  I  asked  him,  finally.  *  No,'  was  the 
reply.  'Why.?'  'Because,'  I  said,  'only  a 
little  while  ago  in  St.  Louis  he  gave  me  this 
same  advice,  and  it  seemed  mighty  odd.' 

"  I  looked  back  on  my  own  career.  I 
thought  it  all  out.  I  became  certain  that 
there  was  more  reputation  for  an  actor  in 
doing,  say,  one  drunken  scene  in  a  strong 
play  with  a  strong  motive  than  there  was 
in  creating  and  carrying  a  part  like  King 
Pommery  Sec.      Yet  they  both  require  the 


138  Celebrated  Comedians. 

same  amount  of  skill.  It  seemed  to  me — . 
I  say  this  with  no  vanity,  but  just  as  a  reflec- 
tion to  which  I  have  come  from  much  study- 
ing of  myself  and  my  work  —  that  a  person 
who  could  play  a  comic  opera  role  like  King 
Pommery  ought  to  be  able  to  play  a  legiti- 
mate part.  At  all  events,  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  try. 

"  A  singer  in  comic  opera  must  have  three 
gifts,  —  be  able  to  sing,  to  dance,  and  to 
act ;  but  the  least  of  these  is  acting.  In 
comic  opera  you  must  appeal  to  the  eyes, 
the  ears,  the  senses,  but  neither  to  the  heart 
nor  to  the  intellect.  You  cannot  stop  to  do 
much  acting,  you  must  not  appeal  too  often  to 
the  feelings  or  the  intelligence  of  your  audi- 
ence. They  want  to  be  amused  rather  than 
interested,  and  if  you  set  them  thinking  you 
may  lose  your  hold  on  them.  While  they 
think  they  fall  a  beat  behind  you  and  lose 
something  in  catching  up.  In  fact,  you  must 
not   let   your   audience    at    a    comic    opera 


Thomas   Q.   Scabrooke.  139 

have  a  chance  to  think.  It  is  no  matter  what 
methods  you  use.  If  you  are  likely  to  fall 
down  in  a  part,  you  can  kick  or  do  anything 
illegitimate,  if  it's  funny,  to  save  yourself, 
and  the  audience  will  think  it  is  all  right. 
Naturally,  you  fall  into  mannerisms." 

Mr.  Seabrooke's  purpose  was  probably 
strengthened  by  the  favourable  comments 
made  on  his  impersonation  of  Fag  in  a  star 
production  of  "  The  Rivals,"  in  the  spring  of 
1894.  His  essays  into  what  he  called  the 
"legitimate,"  however,  were  neither  of  them 
very  successful.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he 
brought  out  "A  World  of  Trouble,"  and 
the  year  following  he  produced  "  The  Spec- 
ulator," both  of  them  farces  of  considerable 
thinness.  His  most  important  engagements 
since  then  have  been  in  "  Yankee  Doodle 
Dandy,"  as  Rawy  in  "  Erminie  "  with  Fran- 
cis Wilson  and  Lillian  Russell,  and  in  "  The 
Rounders."  His  Rawy  was  a  distinct  fail- 
ure, for  he  seemed  to  be  unable  to  catch  the 


140  Celebrated  Comedians. 

shabby-genteel  atmosphere  so  essential  to 
the  part.  His  Irish  Turk  in  "The  Round- 
ers," though  possibly  vulgar  and  unneces- 
sarily coarse  in  some  of  the  business  intro- 
duced, was  genuinely  funny  throughout. 


i 

*i 

m  1 

\.r„<-.<i*» 

ft^^^M^lt 

m'd 

^sS-"~  -^Bs^^KBl^^ 

W^tJS^tB^ 

'-^>f^./      jp- 

FRANK   DANIELS 
in    "The    Ameer." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

FRANK    DANIELS. 

Frank  Daniels  made  his  first  success  as 
a  character  comedian.  His  Old  Sport  in 
*«  A  Rag  Baby,"  although  an  exaggerated  bur- 
lesque, still  bore  a  traceable  resemblance  to 
humanity.  Nor  was  his  Giltedge  in  "  Little 
Puck,"  as  a  character,  wholly  outside  the 
probabilities.  The  setting,  of  course,  was 
absolutely  impossible,  but  the  part  itself  was 
not  without  human  nature,  and  it  was  artistic- 
ally logical  in  respect  to  its  environment. 
Of  late  years,  however,  Mr.  Daniels  has 
gone  in  heavily  for  the  grotesque  and  the 
whimsical,  without  any  regard  whatsoever 
for  human  conditions.  He  no  longer  acts 
characters  ;  he  presents  absurd  monstrosities. 
MI 


142  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Relentlessly  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms, 
this  is  the  most  primitive  form  of  theatrical 
entertainment,  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  is 
first  cousin  to  the  "  antiques  and  horribles  " 
of  the  Mardi  Gras  in  New  Orleans. 

It  is  true  that  it  requires  considerable 
natural  adaptability  to  do  that  sort  of  thing 
successfully.  The  true  clown  is  born,  not 
made,  just  as  much  as  is  the  true  poet. 
While  even  the  wisest  of  men  is  not  above 
unwittingly  playing  the  fool  on  occasion,  it 
is  only  the  elect  that  dares  deliberately  to 
assume  the  role  of  the  fool  with  the  sure 
knowledge  that  he  will  gain  thereby,  not 
scorn  and  obscurity,  but  fame  and  dollars. 
Sometimes  in  the  old  days,  the  misshapen 
jester  was  the  most  influential  personage  in 
the  king's  court.  The  modern  prototype  of 
the  court  jester  is  the  low  comedian  of  eccen- 
tric personality  and  mirth-provoking  manner- 
isms, of  which  Frank  Daniels  is  an  illustrious 
example.      It   is   not   for   mj   to   say   that. 


Frank  Daniels.  143 

inheriting  as  they  have  the  methods  of  the 
court  jester,  they  have  not  also  succeeded  to 
some  of  the  court  jester's  influence. 

Frank  Daniels  is  as  coy  about  his  exact 
age  as  any  woman.  In  1891,  at  the  time  his 
"  Little  Puck  "  had  about  run  itself  out,  and 
he  was  attracting  some  extra  notice  by  his 
new  productions,  he  was  credited  with  being 
thirty-four  years  old.  In  1896,  shortly  after 
his  great  success  with  "The  Wizard  of  the 
Nile,"  he  boldly  claimed  that  he  did  not  know 
just  how  old  he  was.  He  declared  that  he 
was  not  positive  whether  his  age  was  thirty- 
four  or  thirty-five  years.  He  said  that  he 
possessed  no  authentic  entry  of  the  date  of 
his  birth,  and  while  some  of  his  relatives 
claimed  that  he  was  thirty-five,  others  as- 
serted that  he  was  thirty-four.  Asked  the 
direct  question.  How  old  are  you  }  he  dodged, 
and  replied,  with  a  humourous  twinkle  in  his 
eye,  "  Oh,  I'm  just  thirteen." 

However,  it  is  certain    that    Daniels  was 


144  Celebrated  Comedians. 

born    in    Dayton,    Ohio,  and   that   when  he 
was  not  very  old  he  went  with  his  parents 
to   Boston,   where    he    Hved    until    he   went 
on   the    stage.     His    father    was    a    dentist, 
and  Frank's  elder  brother  adopted  the  same 
profession.      It    is   also    stated    that    Frank 
himself    served    a   short    apprenticeship    in 
his   father's    office,    and    then    decided   that 
his   talents  did  not   lie  in  the  direction   of 
tooth  carpentry.     Indeed,  no  one  would  have 
ventured  to  prophesy,  with   Daniels's  youth 
as  a  basis,  an  especially  distinguished  future 
for   the  young  man.     After  he  had  passed 
through   the    grammar   grades  at  the  Law- 
rence School  in  South  Boston,  he  bestowed 
his  attention  upon  Pierce's  Business  College 
on  Washington  Street. 

"I  never  hurt  my  eyesight  by  over- 
study,"  he  has  confessed,  "but  rather  de- 
voted myself,  after  meeting  the  congenial 
spirits  on  the  stairway,  to  playing  billiards 
at  the  Melodian  Billiard  Hall.     I  was  such  a 


Frank  Daniels,  145 

good  student  of  billiards  that  I  once  won  the 
second  prize  in  an  amateur  tournament." 

Mr.  Daniels  added  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
convey  the  impression  that  the  hall  was  run 
in  connection  with  the  college.  It  was,  in 
fact,  two  blocks  away,  and  was  only  reached 
by  climbing  numerous  flights  of  stairs.  "  But 
T  was  young  and  strong  in  those  days,"  he 
remarked,  "and  didn't  mind  chmbing  stairs 
and  going  regularly  to  a  gymnasium." 

"  I  was  a  very  promising  case  of  no  use  in 
those  days,"  he  continued.  "  A  portion  of  my 
time  was  spent  in  attending  the  performances 
at  the  Boylston  Museum,  which  only  cost  one 
ten  cents  every  time  he  entered  the  doors, 
and  where  the  stage  was  so  shaky  that  the 
boards  almost  flew  up  and  hit  the  clog-dan- 
cers in  the  face.  When  I  divorced  myself 
from  the  business  college,  and  my  mother 
impressed  upon  me  the  fact  that  the  time 
had  arrived  when  I  must  do  something  seri- 
ous in  life,  I  began  to  learn  wood  engraving. 


14^  Celebrated  Comedians. 

and  for  three  years  was  employed  by  George 
Mathews  on  Washington  Street.  I  spent 
most  of  my  time  getting  into  the  good 
graces  of  my  employer  by  cracking  jokes, 
doing  jig  steps  and  standing  on  my  head. 
I  was  pretty  good  at  that  sort  of  thing,  but 
pretty  bad  as  an  engraver.  Sometimes  I 
would  get  one  of  those  fits  of  '  I  will  suc- 
ceed '  on,  and  work  hard  over  a  cut  for  a 
week.  Then  I  would  carry  it  to  Mathews 
with  the  feeling  that  at  last  I  had  accom- 
plished something  worth  while ;  but  he 
would  put  on  his  spectacles,  look  it  over 
carefully,  then  hand  it  back  to  me  and  re- 
mark, 'That's  good  ;  throw  it  in  the  stove.'" 

During  this  time,  however,  Daniels  had 
been  going  regularly  to  the  New  England 
Conservatory  of  Music  and  studying  singing 
under  John  O'Neill. 

"  All  my  friends  thought  I  was  the  wonder 
of  the  world,  and  advised  me  to  go  on  the 
stage,"  remarked  Mr.  Daniels.     "  Finally,  I 


Frank  Daniels.  147 

made  my  first  public  appearance  at  a  benefit 
performance  given  for  a  man  who  had  made 
a  mistake  in  selecting  the  theatrical  business 
as  a  means  of  livelihood.  I  agreed  to  appear, 
but  I  was  so  nervous  a  week  before  the  bene- 
fit occurred  that  I  had  to  eat  opiates  to  get 
my  courage  up.  I  was  on  the  programme  to 
give  imitations  of  Gus  Williams  in  his  popu- 
lar songs,  and  when  I  got  on  the  stage,  I  was 
so  frightened  that  I  kept  my  eyes  closed  all 
the  time  I  was  singing,  so  that  if  the  audi- 
ence attempted  to  do  anything  to  get  even  I 
shouldn't  see  it." 

Mr.  Daniels's  professional  career  began  in 
1879,  with  a  small  organisation  under  the 
management  of  George  A.  Jones,  known  as 
the  Boston  Opera  Company.  It  started  its 
tour  in  the  city  of  Chelsea,  Massachusetts, 
and  Mr.  Daniels's  first  part  was  the  sheriff 
in  "The  Chimes  of  Normandy,"  which  he 
declares  that  he  played  so  badly  that  it 
makes  him  grow  faint   even   now  to    think 


148  Celebrated  Comedians. 

of  it.  A  summer  season,  during  which  he 
was  the  second  comedian  of  a  Hght  opera 
company  at  the  Gaiety  Theatre  in  Boston, 
followed.  With  this  organisation  he  played 
the  Judge  in  "Trial  by  Jury,"  and  Dick 
Deadeye  in  "Pinafore."  He  next  joined  the 
McCaull  Opera  Company,  but  remained  with 
it  only  a  brief  period. 

Charles  Atkinson,  who  had  secured  an 
adaptation  of  a  German  farce  called  "The 
Electric  Doll,"  engaged  Mr.  Daniels  to  play 
the  low  comedy  character,  a  sort  of  a  bad  boy 
conception,  and  something  new  to  the  stage 
at  that  time.  Daniels's  success  with  Atkin- 
son Jollities  kept  him  busy  for  three  years, 
during  which  time  the  company  of  five  trav- 
elled all  over  the  United  States,  besides 
touring  for  nine  weeks  in  the  English  prov- 
inces. The  business  over  there  was  not 
remarkable,  however,  and  when  the  tour 
ended  Daniels  had  to  loan  money  to  three 
members   of   the  company   to  enable    them 


Frank  Daniels.  149 

to  get  to  America  Daniels  himself  made 
something  of  a  hit,  and  one  paper  was  rash 
enough  to  compare  his  work  to  that  of  Toole. 
What  Mr.  Daniels  remembers  most  vividly 
about  the  English  visit  is  the  trip  home, 
which  he  describes  as  follows  : 

"The  ship  was  the  Helvetia  of  the  Na- 
tional line,  and  the  trip  was  all  that  the  first 
syllable  of  its  name  suggests.  The  ship's 
freight  consisted  of  a  cargo  of  a  new  disinfect- 
ant which  was  to  be  introduced  in  America, 
and  the  odour  of  this  stuff  was  so  sickening 
that  we  had  to  turn  in  at  night  with  our 
hands  over  our  noses,  and  breathe  through 
our  mouths  in  order  to  escape  the  smell. 
The  ship  was  full  of  rats,  and,  in  order  to 
make  things  more  pleasant,  an  equinoctial 
gale  raged  for  three  days,  and  the  only  peo- 
ple up  on  the  boat  were  the  captain,  the 
mates,  and  the  quartermaster.  The  ship 
turned  somersaults  most  of  the  time,  but  the 
captain  spent  his  time  in  the  smoking-room, 


150  Celebrated  Comedians. 

playing  cards  with  the  crew.  One  morning  I 
woke  up  and  found  that  the  rats  had  entered 
my  room  and  eaten  away  the  entire  upper 
portion  of  both  my  shoes.  I  stuck  my  feet 
into  what  remained  and  hunted  up  the  cap- 
tain to  make  a  complaint.  I  found  him  in 
the  smoking-room  dealing  six  cards  to  the 
second  mate,  and  the  ship  playing  leap-frog. 
I  told  my  story  hanging  on  to  a  rail,  and  the 
captain  looked  at  my  shoes  and  then  broke 
out :  *  That's  all  right,  my  lad  ;  the  ship  will 
never  sink  as  long  as  there's  rats  aboard. 
Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  "  The  next  night  the  rats 
took  all  that  was  left  of  my  shoes,  and  I 
arrived  in  New  York  in  a  pair  of  carpet 
slippers." 

After  a  brief  engagement  at  the  old  Bijou 
Theatre  in  Boston,  then  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Fred  Yokes,  during  which  he  played 
the  jailor  in  "The  Beggar  Student,"  Mr, 
Daniels  was  secured  by  Charles  H.  Hoyt  to 
create  the  part  of    Old    Sport    in  "  A    Rag 


Frank  Daniels.  15 1 

Baby,"  and  so  great  was  his  success  that  he 
remained  the  feature  of  the  farce  comedy  for 
three  years.  Old  Sport  was  a  character  study 
typical  enough  to  strike  home,  and  also  with 
enough  novelty  to  attract  attention.  It  is 
said  that  the  part  was  given  to  Mr.  Daniels 
at  first  to  play  on  the  road  as  an  experiment, 
and  his  astonishing  success  was  a  surprise 
all  around.  Mr.  Daniels  continued  working 
away  on  the  character  until  he  had  rounded 
out  and  developed  a  most  original  and  droll 
impersonation.  Incidentally,  he  started  both 
himself  and  the  firm  of  Hoyt  and  Thomas  on 
the  road  to  fame  and  riches.  Mr.  Daniels's 
salary  at  once  began  to  rise,  and  it  kept  on 
rising  until  it  got  so  formidable  that  Hoyt 
and  Thomas  thought  the  cheapest  thing  to 
do  was  to  take  the  comedian  into  partnership. 
Accordingly,  during  the  last  of  Mr.  Daniels's 
connection  with  "  A  Rag  Baby,"  the  name 
of  the  firm  was  Hoyt,  Thomas  and  Daniels. 
Mr.    Daniels    separated    from    Hoyt    and 


152  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Thomas,  and  began  starring  on  his  own 
account  in  1887.  His  vehicle  was  a  drama- 
tisation of  Anstey's  story,  "Vice  Versa," 
called  "  Little  Puck."  It  set  forth  the  amus- 
ing adventures  of  a  serious-minded  man,  who 
got  himself  mixed  up  with  his  own  son,  and 
I  remember  with  especial  delight  the  very 
funny  school  scene,  and  Mr.  Daniels's  serio- 
comic presentation  of  the  dignified  annoyance 
and  thorough  disgust  of  the  man  turned  boy 
at  the  pranks  of  his  schoolmates.  "  Little 
Puck"  had  been  a  failure  both  in  England 
and  Australia  before  Mr.  Daniels  took  it  up, 
and  his  adaptation  did  not  meet  with  any 
great  approval  when  it  was  first  brought  out. 
He  altered  it  and  worked  it  over,  however, 
until  the  public  accepted  it  as  one  of  the 
most  amusing  extravaganzas  of  the  time.  It 
retained  its  popularity  for  many  seasons,  and 
earned  for  the  actor  a  comfortable  fortune. 

In  the  spring  of    1891    Mr.   Daniels  pro- 
duced a  three-act  farce  comedy,  entitled  "  The 


Frank  Daniels.  153 

Attorney."  It  was  adapted  from  an  English 
farce,  and  did  very  well  as  a  companion  piece 
to  "  Little  Puck."  His  next  venture  of  im- 
portance, however,  was  the  opera  "  Princess 
Bonnie,"  in  which  he  acted  Sprimps.  This 
dragged  through  an  uneventful  season.  In 
Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania,  on  September  21, 
1895,  "  The  Wizard  of  the  Nile  "  was  brought 
out.  This  was  continuously  well  received,  and 
doubtless  inspired  its  two  tamer  successors, 
"  The  Idol's  Eye  "  and  "  The  Ameer." 

"The  Ameer,"  for  example,  was  a  conven- 
tional burlesque  opera  with  a  wealth  of  spec- 
tacular effect,  some  rather  pretty  music,  and 
no  inconsiderable  number  of  attractive  young 
women  in  cast  and  chorus.  Its  plot,  how- 
ever, was  involved  and  confusing,  and  of  very 
little  value  when  unravelled.  The  humour 
in  Mr.  Daniels's  character  was  usually  more 
patent  to  the  eye  than  to  the  mind,  and  the 
wit  consisted  chiefly  of  slangy  quibs  and 
expert  word  juggling. 


CHAPTER    X. 

JEROME    SYKES. 

Although  it  may  be  axiomatically  stated 
that  the  comedian  in  modern  light  opera  is 
essentially  a  buffoon,  bearing  in  mind,  of 
course,  the  inevitable  exception  that  is  said 
to  prove  the  rule,  that  he  is  such  is  not 
entirely  his  fault.  It  is  undeniably  true  that 
the  light  operas  written  since  the  days  of  the 
Gilbert  and  Sullivan  successes,  which  have 
provided  characters  of  the  slightest  intrinsic 
comedy  value,  are  few.  The  Gilbert  and 
Sullivan  field,  in  fact,  has  been  vacated  com- 
pletely by  opera  ;  it  has  been  usurped  by  that 
comparatively  new  growth  that  comes  under 
the  classification  of  musical  comedy,  dainty 
and  fragile  little  plays  of  "  The  Geisha  "  type, 
154 


Jerome  3ykes.  155 

whose  inconsequential,  fanciful,  and  romantic 
dramatic  scheme  becomes  wonderfully  charm- 
ing, when  idealised  by  fascinating  melodies 
that  stimulate  the  imagination  and  banish 
the  commonplace  and  conventional.  These 
plays  deal  lightly  with  genuine  comedy  types, 
and  are  in  that  respect  entirely  within  the 
Gilbert  and  Sullivan  school.  They  are  not, 
however,  satirical  comments  on  men  and 
affairs,  as  were  the  Gilbert  and  Sullivan 
works ;  they  are  not  strong  in  originality 
nor  in  humour,  and  they  have  practically  no 
value  as  literary  products. 

Although  the  labourers  in  the  field  of 
operatic  comedy  have  apparently  taken  to 
buffoonery  as  a  serious  Ufe  study,  there  is 
not  one  that  has  not  at  some  time  or  other 
done  commendable  work  in  the  higher  line 
of  low  comedy.  Ask  them,  and  they  will 
tell  you  that  they  forsook  comedy  at  the 
behest  of  a  public  that  strenuously  demanded 
clowning.     This  is  only  partly  true,  however. 


156  Celebrated  Comedians. 

The  public  was  really  indifferent  about  the 
matter.  It  sought  entertainment,  and  it 
would  gladly  have  received  it  in  the  form 
of  low  comedy  character  acting,  had  that 
been  offered.  But  low  comedy  character 
impersonations  mean  hard  work  on  the  part 
of  the  player,  careful  observation,  some 
thought,  and  much  practice  how  best  to  set 
forth  on  the  stage  the  result  of  keen  obser- 
vation. Buffoonery,  however,  is  almost  en- 
tirely a  matter  of  instinct.  The  ape,  for 
example,  is  an  instinctive  buffoon,  and,  inten- 
tionally or  unintentionally,  he  cannot  help 
causing  laughter  by  his  antics.  The  ape 
does  not  know  the  reason  for  his  clown- 
ishness ;  he  does  not  even  realise  that  he 
is  funny.  Of  course,  the  stage  buffoon  is 
hardly  as  primitive  as  that.  He  has  learned 
to  reason  from  cause  to  effect,  to  know  that 
laughter  is  sure  to  follow  certain  actions  on 
his  part ;  and  thus  he  has  classified  to  an 
extent    the    implements    of    his    trade,    his 


Jerome  Sykes.  1 57 

grimaces  and  strange  physical  contortions, 
his  vocal  tricks  and  awkward  gestures.  He 
knows  where  to  use  each  one  to  the  best 
advantage,  and  when  it  will  be  most  effective. 
The  most  complete  refutation  of  the 
buffoon's  plea  that  the  public  demands  buf- 
foonery is  found  in  the  success  and  popu- 
larity of  the  operatic  comedian,  who,  like 
Jerome  Sykes,  has  made  his  way  by  what 
may  be  called  legitimate  methods.  His  art 
is  founded  on  human  nature,  and  his  work  is 
not  unlike  that  of  the  gifted  caricaturist, 
who,  amid  all  the  wild  vagrancies  of  a  capri- 
cious humour,  preserves  faithfully  the  spirit 
and  even  the  physical  likeness  of  the  original 
from  which  he  works.  A  creation  like  Sykes's 
Genie  in  "  Chris  and  the  Wonderful  Lamp  " 
has  dramatic  force  as  well  as  comic  value. 
It  is  a  personality,  which  even  its  impos- 
sible environment  cannot  rob  of  its  reality. 
Thoroughly  individualised,  also,  was  Sykes's 
wonderfully   funny    Foxy    Quiller   in    "The 


158  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Highwayman."  It  is  good  to  know  that  he 
will  have  an  opportunity  to  expand  this  im- 
personation as  the  leading  character  of  a  new 
opera. 

In  figure  Sykes  is  big  and  massive,  —  even 
ponderous,  in  fact,  —  but  he  is  wonderfully 
agile  for  all  that,  and  can  dance  with  the 
best  of  them.  Both  in  physical  appearance 
and  in  nimbleness  of  wit  Sykes  is  most  sug- 
gestive of  Shakespeare's  Falstaff,  and  one  is 
tempted  to  speculate  on  his  possible  success 
as  an  exponent  of  that  great  role.  Like 
Falstaff,  Sykes  is  endowed  with  an  immense 
fund  of  native  humour,  which  permeates 
and  illuminates  all  his  work  in  the  theatre. 
His  face  is  that  of  the  bom  comedian ; 
the  face  of  the  man  fully  in  sympathy 
with  the  world  and  the  inhabitants  thereof. 
Brightened  by  his  own  appreciation  of  their 
comic  possibilities,  and  sharpened  by  his  com- 
plete mastery  of  the  art  of  conveying  to 
others  his  conception  of  their  meaning,  the 


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7  '^H^l^^k 

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i^g^jK^r^^^^^^^^^ft 

JEROME    SVKES 
as   Foxy  (^)uiller  in   "  The   Highwayman. 


Jerome   Sykcs.  159 

most  commonplace  lines  allotted  to  Sykes, 
when  delivered  by  him,  are  fraught  with  a 
humourous  suggestiveness  that  appeals  to  the 
risibilities  of  the  most  solemn  spectator  with 
sureness  and  despatch.  A  subtle  trick  of  in- 
flection, the  illustrative  accompaniment  of 
facial  expression  or  a  bit  of  original  panto- 
mime, and  the  point  is  made  plain  quietly, 
artistically,  and  effectively. 

Jerome  Sykes's  theatrical  career  began  dur- 
ing the  season  of  1884-85,  when  he  made 
his  d6but  in  Baltimore  as  a  member  of  Ford's 
Opera  Company.  The  season  following  he 
was  with  the  Wilbur  Opera  Company,  play- 
ing the  lesser  comedy  r61es  in  the  various 
light  operas  in  the  repertoire  of  that  organisa- 
tion. His  third  season  he  passed  with  the 
Templeton  Opera  Company,  and  then  for  two 
seasons  he  appeared,  principally  throughout 
the  West,  in  "  straight  "  dramatic  productions. 
During  this  engagement  Sykes  played  heavy 
villains  in  support  of  Newton  Beers,  a  melo- 


i6o  Celebrated  Comedians. 

dramatic  star  of  some  prominence  on  the 
smaller  circuits  in  those  days.  The  principal 
play  in  the  repertoire  was  "  Enoch  Arden." 
In  one  Kansas  town,  where  it  was  purposed 
to  act  this  drama,  it  was  found  that  the 
theatre  had  no  sea-drop  backing  for  the 
wreck  scene.  The  company  carried  a  sea- 
cloth,  but  no  drop.  As  a  last  resort  it  was 
necessary  to  work  the  sea-cloth  against  a 
backing  of  kitchen  fiats.  Every  time  the 
lightning  flashed  it  revealed  the  wreck  occur- 
ing  inside  the  kichen.  Mr.  Sykes  said  that 
he  was  too  much  in  earnest  to  realise  it  then, 
but  the  performances  of  that  company  were 
funnier  than  any  farce  comedy  ever  staged. 

The  fall  of  1889  found  Mr.  Sykes  practi- 
cally stranded  in  Kansas  City.  One  day  he 
met  "  Punch  "  Wheeler,  then  a  well-known 
advance  agent.  They  compared  notes,  and 
found  they  had  thirty  dollars  between  them. 
After  an  hour  spent  in  deliberation,  they 
decided  to  "put  out  "  an  opera  company.     In 


Jerome  Sykes.  i6l 

another  hour  they  had  brought  together  nine 
people,  and  had  formed  "  The  Alcazar  Opera 
Company."  In  two  days  they  were  on  the 
road.  They  had  overcome  the  difficulty  of 
securing  a  chorus  by  hiring  a  scenic  artist  to 
paint  one  on  a  drop.  They  "stayed  out" 
with  this  "troupe"  over  nine  months,  and 
made  a  living,  playing  small  towns  in  Texas 
and  places  in  Mexico.  "  Punch "  Wheeler 
went  ahead,  and  gave  the  local  manager  his 
choice  from  a  large  repertoire,  but  the  com- 
pany always  played  "The  Mascotte,"  which 
was  made  to  fit  any  title,  and  no  one  seemed 
to  know  the  difference. 

In  Piedras  Nagras,  Mexico,  the  manager 
selected  "  Erminie"  from  "  Punch  "  Wheeler's 
list.  The  advance  man  tried  to  convince  him 
that  "The  Mascotte"  was  much  better,  but 
the  Mexican  would  not  yield.  So  "  Erminie  " 
was  billed  and  "  Punch  "  was  in  despair.  He 
did  not  dare  play  "  The  Mascotte  "  under  the 
title  of  "  Erminie,"  because  of  the  stringency 


1 62  Celebrated  Comedians. 

of  the  Mexican  law.  There  might  be  a  Mexi- 
can present  who  could  expose  the  deception. 
He  and  Sykes  had  a  copy  of  the  play,  "  Robert 
Macaire,"  on  which  "  Erminie  "  was  founded, 
and  started  at  ten  in  the  morning  to  impro- 
vise the  opera  with  this  as  the  book.  The 
curtain  rang  up  at  ten  o'clock  that  night,  the 
usual  hour,  on  Sykes's  and  Wheeler's  original 
production  of  "  Erminie."  When  there  was 
a  break  Sykes  would  knock  the  actor  playing 
**  Jake  Strop "  all  over  the  stage,  or  sing 
"  When  Love  is  Young  All  the  World  Seems 
Gay."  The  performance  was  a  hit,  and  "  The 
Alcazar  Opera  Company" —  nine  people  with  a 
chorus  painted  on  a  drop  —  was  invited  to  play 
a  return  date.  Times  have  certainly  changed 
with  "  Jerry  "  Sykes.  "  Punch  "  Wheeler, 
too,  has  escaped  the  troubles  of  theatrical  life, 
and  is  now  a  railroad  agent  in  Chicago. 

"  Funny  things  happened  with  the  Alca- 
zars," declared  Mr.  Wheeler,  in  recalling  his 
experiences  with  this  organisation  in  Texas 


Jerome  Sykes.  163 

and  Mexico.  "  I  remember  at  St.  Ignace, 
Yucatan,  Sykes  invited  me  over  to  the  jail, 
saying  that  one  of  us  had  to  be  locked  up  for 
beginning  the  opera  before  the  commissioner- 
general's  inspector  blew  his  cornet,  and,  as 
Sykes  had  to  go  on  for  a  matinee,  they  gave 
me  a  cell  until  he  could  get  back  to  relieve 
me.  I  threatened  to  leave  the  jail  unless 
they  sent  out  and  got  me  a  pool  table.  After 
that  Sykes  hired  a  man  to  be  locked  up 
whenever  we  interfered  with  the  law,  as  we 
were  too  busy  to  have  our  time  taken  up,  and 
couldn't  study  law  in  Spanish.  At  Guadla- 
hara,  County  of  Santa  Cruz,  Mexico,  the 
painter  sent  us  a  bill  for  three  dollars  and 
twenty  cents  for  painting  dodgers  for  the 
'  Alcohol  Comic  Troupe.' 

"  At  Limberville,  Woxathchie  County, 
Texas,  a  German  landlord  played  the  Alca- 
zars. Sykes  looked  over  the  advance  sale 
and  told  him  it  was  bad.  He  said  not  to 
mind,    we'd    have    a    good    house,    anyway. 


164  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Sykes  said  he  would  bet  we  would  not  play 
to  forty  dollars.  ♦Vorty  dollars,'  said  the 
manager,  'Veil,  I  should  say  me  not.  The 
biggest  house  dot  ever  here  vas,  vas  eighteen 
dollars.' 

"  At  Tie  Siding,  where  we  had  a  guarantee 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  the  manager 
was  selling  tickets  with  a  cash  register. 
After  the  performance  the  register  showed 
gross  receipts  of  thirty-nine  dollars  and 
twenty-five  cents.  He  gave  us  the  gross 
receipts  and  the  cash  register,  and  Jack  Hen- 
derson took  the  kerosene  lamps  used  for 
footlights.  We  had  to  travel  by  wagon  to 
Brackettville,  where  we  played  at  the  army 
post  on  sharing  terms,  the  government  fur- 
nishing the  hall,  the  oil  for  the  lamps  in  the 
footlights,  and  the  band.  The  Seventeenth 
Regiment,  U.  S.  A.,  band  played  the  opera, 
and  had  eleven  more  men  in  the  orchestra 
than  we  had  people  on  the  stage." 

The  Alcazar  Opera  Company  was  not  the 


Jerome   Sykes.  165 

only  "barnstorming"  musical  organisation 
with  which  Mr.  Sykes  was  identified  in  his 
early  struggles  for  recognition.  At  the  end 
of  the  first  season  of  the  Alcazars  —  this 
organisation  of  nine  people,  with  its  chorus 
painted  on  a  drop,  lasted  only  one  season  — 
Jerome  Sykes  and  "  Punch  "  Wheeler  sepa- 
rated, and  Sykes  became  an  impresario  on  his 
own  hook.  He  founded  the  California  Opera 
Company  and  presented  "Said  Pasha"  in 
Colorado  mining  towns.  His  tenor  was 
not  "  the  greatest  ever  ; "  in  fact,  he  was  so 
bad  he  was  suspected  even  by  the  miners. 
At  the  finale  of  the  third  act  Sykes,  this 
tenor,  and  the  baritone  had  a  situation  where 
Sykes  read  the  line — "Three  kings;  what 
an  elegant  hand  to  draw  to  !  "  A  long  haired 
miner  sat  in  the  front  row.  He  did  not  like 
the  tenor.  When  Sykes  spoke  about  the 
three  kings,  he  drawled  :  "  Say,  pardner,  if 
you  skin  that  hand  over  again  you  will  find  a 
jack  at  the  end." 


1 66  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Thus  passed  the  season  of  1890-91. 
After  this  came  a  season  of  starring  in  the 
farce  comedy,  "  U  and  I,"  and  then  Mr. 
Sykes  supported  Marie  Tempest  in  "The 
Fencing  Master."  Next  he  was  engaged 
to  play  the  Sheriff  of  Nottingham  in  the 
number  two  "  Robin  Hood  "  company.  His 
success  in  this  brought  him  an  engage- 
ment with  the  Bostonians,  and  for  two 
seasons  he  alternated  with  Henry  Clay  Bar- 
nabee  in  comedy  roles.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  the  Bostonians  were  short-sighted 
enough  to  let  him  go  rather  than  pay  him 
the  increase  of  salary  that  he  asked.  Had 
they  retained  his  services,  they  would  not 
only  have  strengthened  their  organisation, 
but  they  would  also  have  delayed  materially 
the  rise  of  a  formidable  rival.  Mr.  Sykes,  at 
that  time,  did  not  know  his  own  power,  and, 
like  all  men  who  have  found  the  road  to 
fame  rough  and  hard  to  climb,  he  was  timid 
about    undertaking   strange   ventures.     Had 


Jerome  Sykes,  167 

he  been  granted  what  he  deemed  a  reason- 
able request,  he  undoubtedly  would  have 
remained  contentedly  with  the  Bostonians 
for  many  seasons. 

His  next  engagement  was  with  Lillian 
Russell  as  the  Fat  Boy  in  "An  American 
Beauty."  Then  came  his  splendid  creation 
of  Foxy  Quiller  in  "The  Highwayman," 
which  immediately  raised  him  to  a  position 
of  first  importance  in  the  operatic  field. 
During  the  season  of  1898-99,  he  made 
another  hit  in  "The  Three  Dragoons,"  of 
which  he  was  the  star  feature,  although  he 
was  not  starred.  Indeed,  whatever  success 
that  opera  achieved  was  due  entirely  to  his 
work.  Without  him  it  would  have  been 
nothing.  This  was  followed  by  his  appear- 
ance in  "  Chris  and  the  Wonderful  Lamp." 


CHAPTER   XL 

DAN    DALY. 

The  first  time  that  I  ever  saw  Dan  Daly 
was  in  1889.  The  piece  was  called  "Upside 
Down."  Thomas  A.  Daly  and  John  J. 
McNally  confessed  to  being  the  authors, 
and  what  it  was  all  about  I  have  not  now 
the  slightest  idea,  even  if  I  ever  knew.  I 
think  that  by  courtesy  it  might  be  classified 
as  a  farce  comedy,  in  the  Hoytian  sense,  and 
I  recollect  that  the  parts  were  labelled  with 
curious  punning  names,  such  as  "  Miss  Tellie 
Graph,  pretty,  pert,  and  peculiar."  Daly's 
character  was  designated  as  "Will  Getthere, 
another  lively  young  man  who  would  rather 
travel  with  a  circus  than  go  to  college,"  and 
Daly's  name  was  printed  in  black  type  on 
168 


DAN    DALY 
The   Ladv   Slavey." 


Dan  Daly.  169 

the  playbill,  which  showed  that  he  was  the 
star.  I  believe  that  this  was  his  first  at- 
tempt as  a  solitary  feature,  though  for  many 
seasons  he  had  been  the  chief  attraction  in  a 
piece  called  "Vacation,"  in  which,  however, 
he  shared  the  honours  with  his  brothers, 
Robert,  Thomas,  and  Win. 

As  I  recall  Dan  Daly  in  "Upside  Down," 
he  was  not  one  whit  different  from  Dan  Daly 
in  "  The  Rounders."  His  entrance  was 
made  over  what  seemed  to  be  a  back  yard 
fence,  and  there  was  a  suggestion  about  it 
that  he  had  been  chased  by  a  dog.  This 
was  easily  believed,  for  if  ever  an  actor 
looked  like  a  tramp  that  actor  was  Daly  in 
"  Upside  Down."  He  scaled  the  fence  in  a 
hurry  and  landed  on  the  stage  in  a  heap. 
But  he  picked  himself  up  leisurely,  and 
finally  stood  forth  in  all  the  glory  of  his 
lankiness,  —  his  legs  out  of  plumb  at  the 
knees,  his  feet  at  an  impossible  angle.  He 
merely   looked   forth   upon   the   assemblage 


170  Celebrated  Comedians. 

before  the  footlights  in  the  most  serious 
manner  imaginable,  and  forthwith  the  specta- 
tors burst  into  peals  of  laughter,  for  which 
there  was  absolutely  no  reason  except  Daly 
himself.  When  he  spoke  it  was  in  the  now 
.  well  known,  solemn,  sepulchral  voice,  without 
which  Daly  would  not  be  himself. 

The  strangest  thing  about  Daly  is  that  he 
has  been  able  to  cling  so  closely  for  years  to 
these  same  characteristics  and  still  avoid 
monotony.  It  is  not  his  way  to  impersonate, 
and  he  does  not  make  any  pretence  of  fitting 
himself  to  a  part.  Instead,  he  frankly  doctors 
all  the  parts  that  come  into  his  hands  to  suit 
the  peculiarities  of  his  own  personality.  Yet 
there  is  always  a  distinctive  atmosphere  to 
his  different  roles.  Take  his  three  characters 
in  "The  Lady  Slavey,"  "The  Belle  of  New 
York,"  and  "The  Rounders,"  one  a  swell 
reduced  by  adverse  fortune  to  the  necessity 
of  becoming  a  sheriff's  helper,  the  second 
the   eccentric  Ichabod    Bronson  of    Cohoes, 


Da7i  Daly.  fji 

New  York,  and  the  third  a  constantly  bored 
and  an  inherently  sporty  nobleman  of  France. 
Superficially  they  were  all  just  Dan  Daly 
and  all  just  alike;  they  all  had  the  same 
mannerisms,  the  same  humourous  dignity, 
the  same  mismated  legs,  and  so  on  through 
the  list  of  Dan  Dalyisms.  Still,  in  some 
indefinable  way,  they  were  different.  One 
would  never  dream  of  mixing  them  up,  not 
even  the  two  swells  of  "  The  Lady  Slavey  " 
and  "  The  Rounders." 

As  for  Bronson  of  "The  Belle  of  New 
York,"  I  consider  the  part,  with  all  its  ab- 
surdities, of  real  value  as  a  character  creation. 
I  have  heard  that  the  r61e  was  written  es- 
pecially for  Daly,  and  I  am  willing  to  believe 
that  such  was  the  fact.  Certain  it  is  that 
Daly  has  made  the  role  thoroughly  his  own, 
so  much  so  that  no  one,  who  has  seen  him 
in  it,  can  ever  be  wholly  satisfied  with 
another  actor's  interpretation.  In  Bronson, 
Daly's  ability  to  differentiate  his  characters 


1/2  Celebrated  Comedians. 

internally,  while  making  them  as  much  alike 
as  two  peas  externally,  was  particularly 
noticeable.  His  Bronson  was  an  individual, 
and,  moreover,  he  was  human,  —  a  shrewd, 
witty,  and  altogether  delightful  specimen  of 
the  genus  crank. 

Peculiar  to  Daly  also  is  his  dancing.  There 
was  a  time  when  his  specialty  was  tying 
himself  in  double  bow-knots,  but  he  has 
adopted  a  less  wearing  style  of  recent  years. 
His  suppleness  is  still  often  astonishing, 
though  his  athletic  feats  are  always  accom- 
plished so  easily  and  so  gracefully  as  to  be 
extremely  deceptive.  I  suppose  that  no  one 
thing  displays  Daly's  perfect  bodily  control 
more  than  his  fascinating  dancing  almost 
with  his  feet  alone,  his  legs  moving  just  the 
merest  trifle,  and  his  body  not  at  all. 

Concerning  the  Daly  humour,  it  is  difficult 
to  write.  I  cannot  tell  how  he  reaches  the 
comic  sense  of  a  gathering  so  surely.  To 
say   that    it    is    through    his    personality    is 


Dan  Daly.  173 

merely  an  evasion,  not  an  explanation.  The 
power  of  suggestion  is  wonderfully  keen,  and 
Daly,  it  seems  to  me,  uses  this  power  to  the 
fullest  extent.  Watch  his  eyes  sometime 
when  he  is  convulsing  a  theatre  assemblage. 
His  face  may  be  as  expressionless  as  if  it 
were  carved  in  stone,  but  in  his  eyes  you 
will  surely  see  the  glint  of  fun. 

Dan  Daly  was  born  in  Boston  in  1865, 
and  his  stage  career  began  when  he  was 
only  nine  years  old.  In  the  spring  of  1874, 
with  his  brother  Robert,  he  appeared  at  a 
benefit  entertainment  in  Waverley  Hall, 
Charlestown,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  had  his  first  professional  experience. 
This  was  with  E.  S.  Washburn's  Latest 
Sensation,  an  aggregation  which  travelled  in 
wagons  and  acted  in  variety  houses.  The 
boy  continued  in  variety  work  for  some  four 
years,  and  in  1879  he  played  his  first  part, 
Dan  Dino  in  "The  Crystal  Slipper,"  with 
Little  Corinne. 


1/4  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Two  years  later  Daly  and  his  three  broth- 
ers, Robert,  Thomas,  and  Win,  put  on  the 
piece  called  "Vacation,"  an  indescribable 
combination  of  variety  turns,  and  the  fore- 
runner of  the  Charles  Hoyt  school  of  farce 
comedy.  This  was  played  successfully  on 
the  minor  circuits  for  many  seasons.  Next 
came  "  Upside  Down,"  and  after  that  a 
starring  season  in  a  farce  by  W.  A.  Mestayer. 
Daly  next  came  under  the  management  of 
John  Russell,  appearing  first  in  "  Miss 
McQuilty "  and  then  in  the  famous  "  City 
Directory,"  the  most  elaborate  and  practi- 
cally the  last  important  farce  comedy  ven- 
ture to  be  strikingly  successful.  Daly  then 
played  a  summer  engagement  in  Boston  in 
"  The  Golden  Wedding,"  which  was  followed 
by  another  season  with  Mr.  Russell  in  "  So- 
ciety Fads."  The  next  summer  saw  him  again 
in  Boston  with  "  Davy  Jones  "  at  the  Museum. 

In    1895    Daly    joined    George    Lederer's 
forces  at  the  New    York   Theatre,  and  the 


Dan  Daly.  175 

New  York  Casino,  and  he  has  continued 
under  that  management  ever  since,  appearing 
in  "The  Twentieth  Century  Girl,"  "The 
Merry  World,"  "The  Lady  Slavey,"  "The 
Belle  of  New  York,"  "The  Rounders,"  and 
"The  Cadet  Girl,"  brought  out  in  New 
York  in  the  summer  of   1900. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

HENRY    CLAY    BARNABEE. 

When  New  York  chose  to  discover  Henry 
Clay  Barnabee,  not  so  very  many  years  ago, 
she  proceeded  to  hail  him  in  that  joyous, 
irresponsible  way  of  hers  as  the  only  legiti- 
mate comedian  in  light  opera.  She  dwelt 
lovingly  on  his  quiet  method,  his  quaint  per- 
sonality, "his  keen  sense  of  humour,  his 
ability  to  produce  an  honest  laugh  without 
rolling  down  a  flight  of  stairs  or  adopting  the 
usual  antics  of  the  '  knockabout '  comedians 
or  violating  the  unwritten  laws  of  good 
comedy  acting."  There  are,  however,  two 
distinct  publics  as  far  as  Mr.  Barnabee  is 
concerned.  There  is  the  public  which  will 
effusively  endorse  every  word  of  this  com- 
176 


Henry  Clay  Bamabee.  177 

ment,  and  this  public  is  undoubtedly  in  the 
majority.  It  should  not  be  forgotten,  though, 
that  there  is  a  minority,  which  would  declare, 
and  not  without  truth,  that  Mr.  Barnabee  is 
no  nearer  what  is  indefinitely  known  as  a 
"  legitimate  "  comedian  than  the  other  expo- 
nents of  comedy  in  opera.  Like  the  others, 
he  relies  chiefly  for  success  on  personality,  in 
his  case  one  of  sombre  dryness  that  contrasts 
oddly  with  the  frivolity  of  operatic  wit,  and 
he  enforces  this  personality  with  a  series  of 
mannerisms  that  are  practically  always  the 
same. 

Barnabee  is  not  a  versatile  comedian,  by 
any  means  ;  he  is  not  an  originator,  and  his 
ideas  of  humour  are  often  crude  and  primi- 
tive. But  he  unquestionably  has  the  knack, 
and  he  has  also  acquired,  in  the  years  that  he 
has  been  before  the  public,  authority  and  a 
sure  knowledge  of  effect.  He  has  learned, 
too,  his  own  limitations,  and  he  rarely  makes 
the  mistake  of  attempting  to  overreach  them. 


178  Celebrated  Comedians. 

As  is  natural,  his  voice  is  not  now  what  it 
was  once,  in  the  days  when  he  used  to  turn 
the  minds  of  the  Sunday  School  of  the  Church 
of  the  Unity  from  religious  matters  to  a  keen 
enjoyment  of  worldly  pleasures  by  singing 
"The  Cork  Leg."  Then  it  was  an  excellent 
instrument,  and  later,  when  he  first  went 
into  opera,  he  was  justly  entitled  to  the  high 
rank  that  he  took  on  account  of  his  gifts  as  a 
vocalist.  But,  as  previously  intimated,  there 
is  no  arguing  about  Barnabee.  If  you  like 
him,  that  is  the  end  of  the  matter;  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  you  are  one  of  the  minority 
which  refuses  to  accept  him,  again,  that,  too, 
is  the  end  of  the  matter. 

For  the  past  forty  years  the  name  of 
Henry  Clay  Barnabee  has  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  amusement  enterprises  in  this 
country.  He  is  a  native  of  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  where  he  was  born  on 
November  14,  1833.  His  father  was  Willis 
Barnabee,  in  those  days  a  well-known  hotel 


Henry  Clay  Parnabee.  1 79 

keeper  in  that  city,  which  business  he  took 
up  after  a  notable  career  as  one  of  the  fa- 
mous "whips"  of  the  old  stage  line.  After 
leaving  school  young  Barnabce  became  a 
cash  boy  in  the  dry-goods  store  of  William 
Jones  &  Company  in  Portsmouth,  and  in  that 
establishment  he  remained  until  he  came  to 
Boston  in  1854,  as  soon  as  he  reached  his 
majority,  to  be  a  clerk  in  the  dry-goods  house 
of  C.  F.  Hovey  &  Company. 

Barnabee's  ability  closely  to  imitate  the 
eccentric  actions  and  peculiarities  of  his  fel- 
low salesmen  was  quite  remarkable,  but  it  was 
not  until  his  appearance  at  a  private  enter- 
tainment in  1856  that  he  exhibited  his  talent 
in  public.  This  entertainment  was  held  in  a 
house,  at  number  9  Allston  Street,  on  April 
2,  to  be  exact,  and  Barnabee's  performance 
was  witnessed  by  some  of  the  members  of 
the  declamation  committee  of  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association,  an  organisation  in  whose 
ranks  a  number  of  excellent  actors  and  pub- 


l8o  Celebrated  Comedians. 

lie  readers  of  a  generation  ago  received  their 
earliest  training.  The  entertainments  of  the 
association  were  once  very  popular  in  Bos- 
ton, and  consequently  Barnabee  felt  it  some- 
thing of  an  honour  to  be  invited  to  appear  at 
the  closing  one  of  the  season,  on  April  30, 
1856.  That  was  his  public  debut,  and  he 
recited  N.  P.  Willis's  "Scholar  of  Ben 
Khorat." 

The  following  year  he  was  made  a  member 
of  the  declamation  committee,  and  for  several 
years  afterward  he  was  a  prominent  feature 
of  the  association's  entertainments.  In  the 
early  days  his  contributions  were  altogether 
of  a  serious  character,  and  he  discovered  him- 
self as  a  comedian  and  humourist  wholly  by 
accident.  An  entertainment  was  to  be  given, 
in  which  Henry  Parsons,  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  association,  was  to  impersonate 
a  Yankee  character.  At  a  late  hour  word 
came  that  he  was  ill  and  could  not  appear. 
As  a  last  resort,  the  part  was  thrust  on  Bar- 


Henry  Clay  Barnabee.  i8l 

nabee,  and  the  result  of  this,  his  first  attempt 
at  comedy,  was  a  decided  success.  This  cir- 
cumstance in  a  measure  shaped  his  future 
course,  and  from  that  time  on  he  dropped 
serious  parts  and  devoted  himself  princi[)ally 
to  farcical  acting. 

While  he  was  acting  in  the  amateur  theat- 
ricals of  the  Mercantile  Library  Associa- 
tion, he  was  also  taking  singing  lessons 
regularly.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Boston 
he  became  a  member  of  the  choir  of  the  Rev- 
erend Dr.  Baron  Stowe's  church  on  Chauncy 
Street.  A  year  or  so  after  that  he  was  made 
onje  of  the  quartette  in  a  Jamaica  Plain  church. 
After  two  years'  service  there,  he  was  engaged 
for  the  quartette  of  the  Church  of  the  Unity 
in  Boston,  and  there  he  remained  for  some 
twenty  years,  with  the  exception  of  one  year 
when  he  sang  at  the  Reverend  Doctor  Put- 
nam's church  in  Roxbury. 

Mr.  Barnabee's  successes  with  the  Mer- 
cantile Library  Association  caused  his  name 


1 82  Celebrated  Comedians. 

to  be  known  beyond  the  confines  of  Boston, 
and  his  services  were  in  frequent  demand. 
He  appeared  at  many  entertainments  in  other 
places,  and  was  exceedingly  popular  with 
lyceums.  He  was  often  advised  to  quit  clerk- 
ing and  give  up  his  whole  time  to  entertaining, 
but  he  did  not  do  so  until  1865.  His  ddbut 
as  a  professional  was  made  at  a  benefit  con- 
cert in  Music  Hall,  Boston,  in  which  Miss 
Annie  Louise  Gary,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith, 
Miss  Sarah  W.  Barton,  Henry  Suck,  and 
Howard  M.  Dow,  the  organist,  also  partic- 
ipated. Once  free  from  all  other  business 
interests,  he  soon  became  more  popular  than 
ever,  and  far  more  widely  known.  For  a 
dozen  or  more  years  his  success  with  the 
patrons  of  the  entertainment  and  lyceum 
courses  throughout  the  country  was  almost 
unparalleled  in  the  records  of  that  class  of 
amusements.  His  engagements  called  him 
to  the  cities,  towns,  and  hamlets  of  New 
England,  the  Middle,  Western,  and    North- 


Henry  Clay  Barnabee.  183 

western  States,  as  well  as  into  Canada  and  the 
British  Provinces,  and  he  attained  fame  and 
fortune  wherever  he  went,  commanding  his 
own  terms  and  making  a  "  Barnabee  night " 
a  certain  success  whenever  announced. 

During  these  years  he  also  gained  a  wider 
recognition  of  his  talents  than  that  accorded 
him  by  the  lyceum  audiences  of  the  day,  for 
he  was  constantly  called  upon  to  take  part  in 
benefit  performances.     By  these  appearances 
he   showed   that    he    had    dramatic   abilities 
which  commanded  general  approval.     In  1866 
he  appeared  at  the  Boston  Museum  for  R.  F. 
,  McClannin's  benefit,  playing  Toby  Twinkle 
in  "All  That  Glitters  Is  Not  Gold,"  and  Cox 
in  the  famous  one-act  farce  of  "  Box  and  Cox," 
to  the  Box  of  that   splendid  comedian,  the 
finest,  all  in  all,  that  the  American  stage  has 
ever  produced,  William  Warren.     This  was 
his  first  essay  on  the  dramatic  stage,  and  it 
was  considered  immensely  successful.    Barna- 
bee subsequently  appeared  at  the  Globe  and 


184  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Boston  Theatres  on  benefit  occasions,  and 
at  different  times  played  Aminidab  Sleek 
in  "  The  Serious  Family,"  Henry  Dove  in 
"Married  Life,"  and  several  similar  charac- 
ters. On  March  5,  1868,  Julius  Eichberg's 
operetta,  "The  Two  Cadis,"  was  brought  out 
in  Chickering  Hall,  Boston,  with  Barnabee, 
Miss  Julia  Gaylord,  afterward  prima  donna  of 
the  Carl  Rosa  English  Opera  Company,  Allen 
A.  Brown,  and  Warren  Davenport  in  the  cast. 
Barnabee  also  took  prominent  parts  in  various 
other  operettas,  including  "  Cox  and  Box," 
by  Arthur  Sullivan,  and  "  Sir  Marmaduke,"  a 
musical  version  of  the  old  farce  of  "Betsy 
Baker,"  the  songs  having  been  written  by 
Benjamin  E.  Woolf  and  the  music  by  Julius 
Eichberg.  This  work  was  conceived  by  Mr. 
Barnabee  himself,  and  was  given  for  several 
seasons  by  the  Barnabee  Operetta  Com- 
pany. 

In  1870  Mr.  Barnabee  organised  a  regular 
concert  company,  which  included  Mrs.  H.  M, 


Henry  Clay  Barnabee.  185 

Smith,  M.  Arbuckle,  the  cornetist,  and 
Howard  M.  Dow,  pianist  and  accompanist. 
Mr.  Dow  was  long  associated  with  Mr.  Bar- 
nabee in  his  enterprises,  and  he  was  the 
originator  of  many  songs  and  sketches,  such 
as  "The  Cork  Leg,"  "Blue  Beard,"  "Alonzo 
ye  Brave,"  "  Mrs.  Watkins's  Evening  Party," 
"Brown's  Serenade,"  and  "The  Monks  of 
Old."  In  those  days  Mr.  Barnabee  had  with 
him  from  time  to  time  many  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful entertainers  of  the  day.  At  one  time 
he  made  a  great  hit  with  George  M.  Baker  in 
an  amusing  entertainment  called  "  Too  Late 
for  the  Train,"  which  was  written  by  Mr. 
Baker.  Later  he  appeared  in  a  monologue, 
also  written  for  him  by  Mr,  Baker,  entitled 
"Patchwork,  or  an  Evening  with  Barnabee." 
The  origin  of  this  entertainment,  which  had 
for  years  a  prominent  place  in  the  lyceum 
courses  of  the  country,  was  little  more  than 
a  chance.  A  call  upon  Barnabee's  services  in 
the  aid  of  a  charity  in  Newburyport  made  it 


1 86  Celebrated  Comedians. 

necessary  to  supply  the  amusement  with  as 
little  expense  as  possible.  Although  he  had 
some  doubts  of  his  ability  to  hold  an  audience 
unassisted,  Mr.  Barnabee  nevertheless  under- 
took the  task  of  "giving  the  whole  show." 
The  result  was  the  series  of  songs,  stories,  and 
impersonations,  which  were  later  woven  into 
Mr.  Baker's  monologue. 

For  several  years  previous  to  1879  Barna- 
bee's  engagements  were  made  through  the 
Roberts  Lyceum  Bureau,  an  agency  at  that 
time  managed  by  Miss  E.  H.  Ober,  who 
also  controlled  the  business  of  many  other 
similar  entertainers.  Miss  Ober  conceived 
the  idea  of  a  "  Pinafore  "  performance  with 
an  "  ideal "  cast,  and  the  notion  resulted  in 
the  presentation  in  May,  1879,  of  "Pinafore" 
by  the  Ideal  Opera  Company,  in  which  were 
Mary  Beebe,  Miss  Phillipps,  Myron  Whitney, 
Tom  Karl,  and  Mr.  Barnabee.  Mr.  Barna- 
bee's  Sir  Joseph  Porter  settled  his  future 
career.      He   followed    his    "  Ruler   of    the 


He  my  Clay  Barnabee.  187 

Queen's  Navee "  with  the  creation  of  the 
rdle  of  the  Pasha  in  the  adaptation  of  Suppe's 
"Fatinitza"  made  by  Sylvester  Baxter  for 
the  Boston  Ideals,  as  the  company  was  called 
after  dropping  •'  Pinafore."  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  almost  a  score  of  parts  of  equal 
prominence  in  the  operas  produced  by  this 
organisation.  In  1887,  in  connection  with 
Tom  Karl  and  William  H.  MacDonald,  Bar- 
nabee  formed  the  operatic  company  known 
as  the  Bostonians.  Prominent  among  the 
native  works  produced  by  this  organisation 
have  been  "Robin  Hood,"  "Don  Quixote," 
''The  Maid  of  Plymouth,"  "The  Ogalallas," 
and  in  recent  years  "Prince  Ananias,"  "The 
Serenade,"  and  "The  Viceroy," 

In  his  social  life  Mr.  Barnabee  is  a  thirty- 
third  degree  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the 
famous  Ancient  and  Honourable  Artillery 
Company  of  Boston.  He  is  also  proud  of 
the  fact  that  he  was  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Apollo  Club,  a  prominent  choral 


1 88  Celebrated  Comedians. 

society  of  male  voices  in  Boston.  Mr.  Bar- 
nabee  married  in  1859  Clara  George,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Maj.  Daniel  George,  of  Warner,  New 
Hampshire. 


HKNfRV    OIXF.V 

u    "The   Adventures  of    Fran9ois.." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

HENRY    E.    DIXEY. 

No  actor  of  to-day  has  struggled  harder 
than  Henry  E.  Dixey  to  overcome  a  reputa- 
tion acquired  in  the  field  of  nimble  burlesque, 
and  to  establish  himself  solidly  in  public 
favour  as  a  player  entitled  to  serious  consid- 
eration as  a  light  comedian.  More  than  once 
has  he  seemed  to  have  reached  the  coveted 
goal.  His  work  with  Augustin  Daly's  com- 
pany, several  seasons  ago,  would,  in  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  events,  have  settled  the  ques- 
tion of  his  right  to  aspire  to  higher  things 
in  the  drama,  but  the  prestige  then  acquired 
was  largely  lost  in  the  unfortunate  ventures 
that  followed.  Now  again  the  future  looks 
bright,  for  his  David  Garrick,  in   Augustus 


IQO  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Thomas's  "Oliver  Goldsmith,"  once  more 
brought  him  to  the  front  as  an  exquisite 
interpreter  of  comedy,  and  this  success  was 
followed  in  the  fall  of  1 900  by  his  appearance 
as  a  star  in  "  The  Adventures  of  Francois," 
a  dramatisation  by  Langdon  Mitchell  of  Dr. 
S.  Weir  Mitchell's  novel  of  the  same  title. 

Dixey  is  one  of  those  fortunate  unfortu- 
nates whose  greatest  successes  have  been 
their  worst  handicaps.  His  Adonis  was  the 
adored  of  many  seasons,  and  so  enamoured 
did  the  theatre-going  public  become  of  the 
Dixey  physical  perfection  as  exhibited  in  this 
role,  that  it  kept  him  playing  it  long  after  he 
would  willingly  have  buried  it  in  oblivion. 
When  the  juice  had  been  squeezed  to  the 
last  drop  from  this  entertainment,  the  same 
public  refused  to  accept  the  actor  in  anything 
else.  Without  the  slightest  reason,  there- 
fore, and  ignoring  completely  Dixey's  splen- 
did record  in  both  opera  and  comedy  before 
"Adonis"  was  perpetrated,  public  sentiment 


Henry  E.   Dixcy.  191 

decreed  that  he  was  useless  outside  of  this 
one  show.  Ever  since,  Dixey  has  been  vainly 
combating  this  sentiment,  and  at  last  he 
seems  to  have  conquered. 

Yet  there  is  no  lack  of  evidence  of  Mr. 
Dixey's  unusual  talent  as  a  light  comedian. 
He  has  those  most  important  qualities, — 
style,  finish,  and  mental  alertness.  He  is  a 
master  of  pantomime,  and  his  body  is  a  thor- 
oughly trained  instrument  of  expression,  of 
which  he  has  perfect  and  complete  control. 
Although  for  so  many  years  associated  with 
burlesque,  he  never  became  the  slave  of  bur- 
lesque ;  he  never  lost  in  a  haze  of  travesty 
the  instinct  for  sobriety  and  sincerity.  While 
he  appreciated  keenly  the  satirist's  chaffing 
of  humanity,  he  was  susceptible  also  to  the 
true  comedian's  sympathetic  and  loving  cari- 
catures of  the  quibbles  of  human  nature. 
Henry  E.  Dixey  is  more  than  a  burlesquer ; 
he  is  an  actor  whose  field  is  subtle  and 
versatile  comedy. 


192  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Henry  E.  Dixey's  real  name  was  Dixon, 
and  he  was  born  in  Boston  on  January  6, 
1859.  The  stage  seems  to  have  been  an 
instinct  with  him,  for  he  began  to  have 
aspirations  about  as  soon  as  he  could  talk. 
These  were  gratified  at  first  by  wonderful 
melodramatic  performances  in  his  mother's 
cellar,  with  a  table  for  a  stage,  a  sheet  for  a 
curtain,  and  all  the  babies  in  the  block  as  an 
audience.  The  price  of  admission  was  pins, 
nails,  tops,  kites,  anything  and  everything 
that  had  a  marketable  value  in  a  boy's  eyes. 
These  performances  were  usually  given  Sat- 
urday mornings,  and  the  proceeds  would 
then  be  bartered  off  for  change  enough  to 
admit  the  youthful  Thespian  into  the  gallery 
of  the  old  Howard  Athenaeum  later  in  the 
day.  There  he  drank  deeply  of  dramatic 
art,  which  was  served  in  full  measure  and  in 
a  manner  unmistakable.  The  modern  school 
of  suggestion  and  repression  would  have 
been  laughed  off  the  stage  in  those  days. 


Henry  E.  Dixey.  193 

"The  dramatic  shows  in  my  mother's 
cellar  were  sometimes  broken  up  in  the  most 
unexpected  ways,"  once  remarked  Mr.  Dixey, 
in  referring  to  his  first  public  appearances. 
"  I  remember  we  were  going  to  play  '  Jack 
Sheppard '  one  morning.  I  wanted  to  be 
Jack,  but  my  partner  was  bigger  than  I,  so  I 
thought  it  safer  to  compromise  and  take  the 
part  of  Jonathan  Wild.  Things  went  along 
swimmingly  until  the  last  act.  It  was  then 
that  Jack  was  supposed  to  die  on  the  gallows, 
and  we  strung  him  up  with  commendable 
realism.  Had  not  Jack's  father  showed  up 
with  an  axe  about  that  time,  I  am  afraid  that 
it  would  have  been  all  up  with  the  actor. 
When  he  was  cut  down  he  was  black  in  the 
face.  That  settled  the  morning  theatricals 
for  a  time.  Then  I  began  to  dance.  I  felt 
that  I  could  dance  even  before  I  began,  and 
I  had  no  teacher  but  myself.  I  danced  be- 
fore meals  and  after  meals.  I  danced  the 
last  thing  before  going  to  bed,  and  the  first 


194  Celebrated  Comedians. 

thing  in  the  morning.  Most  of  the  prac- 
tising was  done  on  Boston  brick  pavements, 
for  the  family  could  not  stand  it  at  home.  I 
got  in  extra  work  on  the  street  and  in  the 
school  yard  during  recess  time.  It  was  the 
ambition  of  my  life  to  wear  spangles,  black 
my  face,  and  be  like  one  of  Bryant's  minstrels. 
I  volunteered  for  everybody  who  gave  a 
benefit  performance,  and  I  would  walk  to 
Chelsea  and  back  any  time  for  the  sake  of 
showing  what  I  could  do. 

"  Then  I  began  to  haunt  the  stage  door  of 
the  old  Howard.  At  that  time  John  Stetson 
was  the  manager,  and  he  always  held  that  he 
was  the  one  to  give  me  the  first  start,  —  sort 
of  recognised  in  me  a  prot6g6.  The  first 
part  I  ever  played  was  Peanuts  in  Augustin 
Daly's  ripping  melodrama,  'Under  the  Gas- 
lights,' and  I  was  ten  years  old  at  that  time. 
It  was  not  a  very  big  part,  but  it  satisfied 
me,  and  when  the  curtain  fell  on  the  last  act 
I  was  the  happiest  boy  in  Boston,  for  I  felt 


Henry  E.  Dixcy.  195 

that  I  had  made  a  success.  After  that  I  did 
numerous  small  jobs  around  the  theatre,  but 
I  got  more  glory  than  salary." 

James  S.  Maffit,  the  pantomimist,  and  for 
years  the  Lone  Fisherman  in  ••  Evangeline," 
was  often  at  the  Howard  in  those  days,  act- 
ing "  Kim-Ka,"  "  Flick  and  Flack,"  "  Robert 
Macaire,"  and  other  pantomimes  of  the  Ravel 
school,  and  the  value  of  the  training  that 
young  Dixey  received  under  this  master  of 
the  art  of  subtle  gesture  and  suggestive 
action  cannot  be  overestimated. 

Next  came  the  production  by  Edward  E. 
Rice  of  the  extraordinarily  successful  "  Evan- 
geline." This  occurred  at  the  Globe  Theatre 
in  Boston,  on  June  7,  1875.  Dixey  heard 
what  was  going  on,  and  applied  for  a  position. 
His  ability  as  a  dancer  won  him  a  place,  and 
he  was  cast  for  the  fore  legs  of  the  famous 
heifer,  Richard  Golden  having  the  responsi- 
bility of  impersonating  the  hind  legs.  Dixey 
also  originated  the  dance  performed  by  the 


196  Celebrated  Comedians. 

intelligent  animal.  While  he  was  with 
"  Evangeline,"  Dixey  played  almost  all  the 
male  roles.  Besides  half  the  heifer,  he  acted 
at  various  times  a  Miserable  Ruffian,  the 
First  Sailor,  the  Headsman,  the  Jailer,  the 
Conductor,  the  Policeman,  in  which  he  un- 
covered a  rich  Irish  brogue,  the  Lone 
Fisherman,  and  Le  Blanc.  In  "The  Cor- 
sair" he  played  both  Syng  Smaul  and 
Yussuf.  He  created  the  part  of  Remus 
Brown  in  "  Hiawatha,"  and  also  that  of  the 
Jester  in  "  Horrors,"  in  which  he  appeared 
as  Rajah  Zog  as  well.  Dixey  was  Whatdo- 
yousoy  in  "  Robinson  Crusoe,"  the  Doctor 
and  Tommy  in  "  The  Babes  in  the  Woods," 
Sir  Ramsgate  Bramblewig  and  Inkijab  in 
"  Revels,"  and  Doctor  Syntax  in  "  Cinderella 
at  School." 

In  the  popular  operettas  of  the  day 
Dixey  played  Lorenzo  in  "The  Mascotte,"  Sir 
Mincing  Lane  in  "  Billee  Taylor,"  Bunthorne 
in  "Patience,"  Sir  Joseph  Porter  in  "Pina- 


Henry  E.   Dixey.  197 

fore,"  and  the  Chancellor  in  "  lolanthe,"  for 
which  part  he  has  always  expressed  a  decided 
preference,  although  he  added  that  he  got 
lots  of  fun  out  of  Lorenzo  for  himself  as  well 
as  for  the  audience.  Others  of  his  prominent 
characters  before  "Adonis"  was  produced 
were  Peter  Papyrus  in  "  The  New  Evan- 
geline," Boss  Knivett  in  "The  Romany  Rye," 
William  Crank  in  "  Pounce  &  Co.,"  Brabazon 
Sykes  in  "  The  Merry  Duchess,"  Frippa- 
ponne  in  "  Lieutenant  Helene,"  Henry 
Nervine  in  "  Distinguished  Foreigners,"  and 
Christopher  Blizzard  in  "  Confusion,"  all  of 
which  he  originated.  He  also  acted  John 
Wellington  Wells  in  "  The  Sorcerer,"  and 
Carrick  Fergus  in  "  The  Duke's  Motto." 
These  appearances  in  comedy  were  made 
under  the  management  of  John  Stetson  at 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre  in  New  York. 
Mr.  Dixey  was  once  asked,  while  "  Adonis  " 
was  still  at  the  height  of  its  popularity,  how 
he  liked  this  experience  in  the  "  legitimate." 


198  Celebrated  Comedians. 

"  Oh,  please  don't  use  that  word,"  he  ex- 
claimed. •'  Legitimate  !  Legitimate  !  It's  a 
word  that  ought  to  be  abolished  from  the 
theatrical  vocabulary.  It  came  into  use  with 
a  lot  of  uninspired  old  fogies  who  could  only 
speak  their  lines  by  rote  and  servilely  follow 
tradition.  And  the  same  class  swear  by  the 
word  now,  the  same  non-creative  crowd  who 
have  no  ideas,  who  never  invent  anything, 
whose  only  talent  lies  in  the  stereotyped  and 
the  hackneyed.  Believe  me,  whatever  is  ar- 
tistic is  legitimate.  For  three  hundred  nights 
I  stayed  in  New  York  with  a  burlesque  that 
was  clean,  humourous,  and  artistic.  Yet  I 
suppose  the  old  fogies  would  deny  its  right 
to  the  denomination  of  'legitimate.'  They 
wouldn't  begrudge  the  word,  however,  to 
other  comedians  who  play  straight  parts  in 
the  most  distorted  and  grotesque  manner 
imaginable.  In  'Adonis,'  I  never  took  any 
liberties  with  an  audience.  I  never  'guyed.' 
I  wouldn't  allow  a  topical  '  gag '  to  be  spoken. 


Henry  E.   Dixey.  199 

'  Adonis '  was  acted  as  earnestly  and  as 
artistically  as  burlesque  is  capable  of.  But 
no,  say  the  fogies,  it's  not  legitimate.  Then 
they  flock  to  some  comedian  who  puffs  out 
his  checks,  speaks  his  aside  plump  into  the 
parquet,  makes  absurd  gyrations  with  his 
body,  and  takes  every  conceivable  liberty  with 
the  author's  creation,  distorting  it  out  of 
all  proportion  to  nature.  But  oh,  dear  me ! 
don't  say  a  word  against  him,  —  he's  a  legiti- 
mate comedian.  Albert  Chevalier,  the  coster 
singer,  I  say,  is  as  legitimate  as  Henry  Irving. 
How  about  playing  Hamlet  and  advising  the 
actors  thus  }  '  Speak  the  speech,  I  per-rer-ray 
you,  as  I  per-rer-rer-nounced  it  to  you,  ter- 
rer-rer-rippingly  on  the  tongue  ;  but  if  you 
mow-wow-wow-woth  it  as  many  of  our  players 
do,  I  had  as  lief  the  tow-wow-wown  crier 
spoke  me-ah  lines.'  How  Irving  must  have 
laughed  in  his  sleeve  at  the  audience  when- 
ever he  played  Hamlet !  What  a  delicious 
little  joke  all  to  himself  when  he  spoke  those 


200  Celebrated  Comedians. 

instructions  to  the  players  and  wilfully  chal- 
lenged the  truth  of  what  he  told  them  !  In 
my  opinion  Mr.  Irving  is  a  good  burlesque 
actor  gone  wrong." 

Speaking  of  "  Adonis,"  Mr.  Dixey  said  : 
"Some  of  the  ideas  for  the  piece  were 
mine,  but  they  were  put  into  shape  by  Mr. 
Gill,  and  excellent  work  he  did,  too.  When 
the  piece  was  finished  we  tried  to  get  John 
Stetson  to  produce  it  at  the  Globe  Theatre 
in  Boston.  He  refused  because  he  said  that 
the  properties  would  cost  too  much.  Per- 
haps they  cost  three  hundred  dollars.  After 
'Adonis'  had  been  done  in  Chicago  with 
success.  Stetson  wanted  to  buy  an  interest 
in  it  for  twenty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Rice, 
who  put  the  piece  on  for  me,  refused  the 
offer.  I  have  always  held  that  it  was  a  good 
play.  Of  course,  people  say  that  it  was  a 
burlesque.  Well,  it  was  a  burlesque,  but 
at  the  same  time  it  was  a  good  play.  There 
were  lots  of  actable  parts  in  '  Adonis.'     Take 


He7iry  E.  Dixey.  20 1 

the  polished  villain,  the  old  man,  the 
Duchess,  the  merry  mountain  maid,  and 
Adonis,  and  we  had  lots  to  build  on.  It 
was  a  great  success.  'The  Seven  Ages,' 
which  followed  it,  did  fairly  well,  but  I  con- 
fess I  was  ambitious.  I  wanted  to  do  better 
things.  People  said  to  me,  Adonis  and  Bertie 
Van  Loo  are  both  artistic,  graceful,  neat, 
but  they're  burlesque.  There  was  money 
to  be  made  from  these  burlesques,  but  I 
desired  something  besides  the  money.  I  de- 
sired to  exert  every  effort  to  improve  myself 
in  my  calling,  so  I  laid  the  burlesques  away, 
and  tried  comedy." 

"Adonis"  was  produced  in  Chicago  on 
July  6,  1884.  It  was  sent  to  New  York, 
where  it  opened  on  September  4th  at  the 
Bijou  Opera  House,  and  ran  for  over  six 
hundred  nights.  On  May  31,  1886,  the  bur- 
lesque was  taken  to  London  and  presented 
for  a  season  at  the  Gaiety  Theatre.  It  was 
not  received  with  the  same  favour  that  it  had 


202  Celebrated  Comedians. 

met  in  this  country.  After  this  engagement 
Dixey  reappeared  with  the  piece  in  New 
York,  and  then  toured  the  country.  He 
was  certainly  inimitable  as  the  beautiful 
statue,  the  sprightly  gallant,  in  the  remark- 
able imitations  of  Irving,  as  the  independent 
barber,  and  in  the  other  characters  which  he 
assumed  in  the  lively  spectacle.  "  The  Seven 
Ages,"  which  was  built  to  illustrate  the  phi- 
losophy of  Jacques  as  expressed  in  "  As  You 
Like  It,"  also  gave  Dixey  a  chance  to  show 
his  ability  as  a  lightning  change  artist,  but 
the  show  lacked  the  sparkle  and  snap  that 
made  "Adonis"  so  attractive.  Mr.  Dixey's 
venture  into  comedy  was  made  with  a  play 
called  "A  Man  with  a  Hundred  Heads," 
which  also  served  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
actor  posing  as  some  one  else,  and  it  was  a 
pretty  poor  sort  of  an  entertainment.  What 
Dixey  thought  of  his  own  work  is  shown  in 
the  following  remark  : 

"  It  is  not  a  very  difficult  matter  to  make 


Henry  E.  Dixey.  203 

up  like  a  distinguished  man,"  he  said,  when 
some  one  expressed  surprise  at  the  fidcUty 
with  which  he  copied  the  face  of  President 
Benjamin  Harrison.  "  Even  if  the  likeness 
is  not  perfect,  people  will  see  a  resemblance, 
and  that  is  quite  enough  for  them.  They 
will  think  for  the  moment  that  it  is  perfect. 
I  used  to  make  up  Henry  Irving  in  'Adonis' 
in  less  than  five  minutes,  yet  there  were  per- 
sons who  thought  that  I  spent  a  long  time  in 
making  up.  A  small  piece  of  putty,  some 
grease  paint,  and  powder  will  make  the  most 
astonishing  difference  in  one's  appearance  in 
less  time  than  it  takes  me  to  tell  you  about 
it." 

In  1894  Mr.  Dixey  surprised  the  theatrical 
world  by  his  success  in  light  comedy  as  a 
member  of  Augustin  Daly's  company.  Es- 
pecially noteworthy  was  his  Malvolio  in 
"Twelfth  Night,"  which  certain  critics 
went  so  far  as  to  declare  was  the  best 
presentation  of  the  character  that  this  gen- 


204  Celebrated  Comedians. 

eration  had  seen.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
those  who  saw  Mr.  Dixey's  MalvoHo  could 
scarcely  believe  it  to  be  the  performance  of 
the  actor  who  used  to  travesty  Henry  Irving's 
Hamlet  and  imitate  a  stage-struck  country 
girl  on  one  and  the  same  night.  Yet,  his 
success  was  not  so  astonishing,  after  all,  for 
Malvolio  demands  just  that  delicate  touch  of 
satire  and  artificiality,  subtilty  and  finesse, 
which  comes  as  second  nature  to  a  bur- 
lesquer  of  Dixey's  fineness.  Off  the  same 
piece,  too,  was  his  Marcus  Brutus  Snap,  the 
theatrical  manager  in  "  A  Night  Off."  That 
part  also  bordered  on  burlesque,  and  Mr. 
Dixey  acted  it  with  the  nicest  discrimination 
and  the  best  of  taste.  His  character  exposi- 
tion was  clean-cut  and  pointed,  and  his  sin- 
cerity and  spontaneity  evidenced  an  instinct 
for  the  most  exquisite  comedy.  Excellent, 
also,  was  his  ballet  master  in  "  7-20-8."  His 
graceful  carriage,  his  mobile  countenance,  and 
his  free  and  easy  gesticulation  fitted  perfectly 


Henry  E.   Dixcy.  20 5 

the  role  of  the  voluble  and  intense  Italian. 
He  posed  and  pirouetted  with  rare  abandon  ; 
his  mastery  of  the  Italianised  English  was 
perfect,  and  his  animation  inspiring  without 
breathlessness. 

After  leaving  Daly's  company,  Mr.  Dixey 
was  the  principal  actor  in  the  unsuccessful 
"Thoroughbred."  Then  he  took  a  flyer  into 
vaudeville,  appearing  in  a  specialty  made  up 
of  hits  from  "  Adonis "  and  other  pieces. 
After  that  he  tried  his  luck  as  a  profes- 
sional magician. 

During  the  season  of  1899- 1900  he  again 
showed  his  ability  as  a  light  comedian  by  his 
impersonation  of  David  Garrick  in  Augustus 
Thomas's  play,  "Oliver  Goldsmith,"  which 
was  produced  by  Stuart  Robson.  The  fol- 
lowing criticism  of  Mr.  Dixey's  acting  is  by 
Amy  Leslie  of  Chicago. 

"  Henry  Dixey's  Garrick  was  a  revelation 
of  symmetrical  and  beautiful  acting.  He 
simply    shed    light    and    sparkle    and    force 


2o6  Celebrated  Comedians. 

wherever  his  Garrick  was  thrust  or  posed. 
Had  Garrick  been  so  graceful  and  handsome 
a  creature  as  Dixey  cannot  help  but  make 
him,  feeling  his  idealisation  a  necessity,  why, 
the  popular  actor  would  have  been  not  only 
celebrated  as  a  player,  but  a  beau  whose 
beauty  must  have  eclipsed  all  the  exquisites 
of  his  time.  And  Garrick  was  not  that. 
But  Dixey  at  times  so  closely  resembled 
the  paintings  and  etchings  extant  of  Gar- 
rick that  the  likeness  was  startling.  He 
mimics  everybody  beautifully  as  only  Dixey 
can,  is  gay,  graceful,  animated,  and  ebullient 
as  gossamer,  and  pungently  intelligent.  There 
is  a  scene  extremely  shoppy,  and  after  the 
style  of  'The  First  Rehearsal,'  'The  Royal 
Box,'  'Pantomime  Rehearsal,'  and  all  the 
other  plays  bringing  the  stage  in  with  its 
glitter  scraped  off  and  its  overalls  on. 
Dixey's  '  Adonis  *  had  it,  and  so  did  '  In 
Gay  New  York.'  Always  when  a  play  wants 
spirited  squabble  and  back-talk,  a  stage  is  up- 


Henry  E.   Dixey.  207 

set  and  a  rehearsal  put  in.  This  is  capital 
and  gives  Dixey  an  opportunity  to  be  irre- 
pressibly  brilliant  and  Robson  a  chance  to 
give  a  touch  of  his  famous  Tony  Lumpkin, 
which  is  still  among  the  Robson  laurels  un- 
challenged and  untarnished.  Mr.  Dixey  is 
lithe,  graceful,  and  bubbling  with  humour 
which  singularly  belongs  to  the  time,  though 
nothing  on  earth  is  more  modern  than  Dixey 
in  any  guise.  He  was  showered  with  applause 
and  laughter  from  the  heart,  and  his  remark- 
able impersonation  of  the  bailiff  is  something 
charming,  coming  in  against  his  Garrick  with 
its  thousand  mimicries  of  Johnson,  Boswell, 
and  everybody  casually.  Mr.  Dixey  is  in- 
comparable in  the  expression  of  the  author's 
intention  and  Mr.  Garrick's  choicest  vanity, 
his  most  alluring  moods." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

OTIS    HARLAN. 

With  very  few  exceptions,  Otis  Harlan's 
principal  successes  on  the  stage  have  been 
made  in  the  farce  comedies  of  Charles  H, 
Hoyt.  The  Hoyt  characters  are  peculiar. 
Indeed,  strictly  speaking,  they  are  not  char- 
acters at  all  in  the  dramatic  sense.  They 
are  subjected  to  no  process  of  development ; 
they  do  not  grow  nor  expand  with  dramatic 
action,  and  they  are  without  individuality. 
Yet  they  have  a  recognisable  likeness  to 
humanity,  and  give  evidence  of  considerable 
satirical  observance  on  the  part  of  their  crea- 
tor. They  are  best  defined  as  types.  Now, 
the  typical  human  being  in  any  of  the  various 
walks  of  life  does  not  really  exist.  Man, 
ao8 


OTl.S     HAKLAX 

in   "  A   Black   Sheep." 


Otis  Harlan.  209 

for  his  convenience,  divides  humanity  into 
classes,  and  on  those  classes  he  fixes  certain 
attributes.  Hoyt's  method  was  to  place  the 
class  man,  who  really  did  not  live  except  in 
the  imagination  of  other  men,  into  his  plays, 
and  thus  he  acquired  a  considerable  reputa- 
tion as  a  shrewd  observer  of  society.  Hoyt 
placed  upon  the  stage  lay  figures,  with  a  rec- 
ognisable resemblance  to  humanity,  but  the 
resemblance  was  altogether  too  superficial  to 
withstand  the  slightest  examination  or  analy- 
sis. His  personages  had  human  qualities, 
but  they  were  not  human  by  any  manner  of 
means. 

How  much  of  Hoyt's  success  was  due  to 
his  own  creative  powers,  and  how  much  to 
the  creative  powers  of  his  actors,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  state.  It  is  generally  known  that 
Mr.  Hoyt  was  accustomed  to  write  his  r61es 
to  suit  certain  players.  In  that  way,  for 
example,  Hot  Stuff,  in  "A  Black  Sheep," 
was    written    with  Mr.   Harlan  especially  in 


210  Celebrated  Comedians. 

mind,  and  there  never  was  the  slightest 
doubt  regarding  the  perfection  of  the  fit. 
Mr.  Hoyt  also  engaged  his  actors  with  only 
a  single  part  in  mind,  —  perhaps  because  of 
a  single  characteristic.  He  did  not  want 
versatility  nor  adaptability.  He  believed  that 
the  best  player  for  him  was  the  one  who 
had  only  to  act  himself.  Thus  it  happened 
that  many  players  found  themselves  tied 
down,  year  in  and  year  out,  to  a  single  Hoyt- 
ian  character.  They  were  great  in  this  one 
part,  and  they  became  persons  of  importance 
in  the  theatrical  world.  Then,  suddenly,  with 
the  fading  away  of  the  Hoyt  vogue  came 
their  collapse.  They  found  themselves  un- 
marketable, and  they  have  never  ceased  to 
wonder  why. 

The  greatest  of  the  Hoyt  players  —  and 
near  the  head  stands  Otis  Harlan  —  were 
men  and  women  of  striking  magnetism  and 
unusual  temperament.  Occasionally  one  of 
them  showed  a  decided  talent  for  character 


Otis  Harlan  2i  i 

exposition  and  artistic  comedy  acting,  —  such 
a  one,  for  instance,  was  Tim  Murphy,  so  long 
with  "A  Texas  Steer," — but,  for  the  most 
part,  the  Hoyt  players  were,  first  and  last, 
entertainers.  Characteristic  of  this  class  is 
Otis  Harlan,  the  personification  of  jest  and 
merriment.  Think  of  him  trying  to  do  any- 
thing seriously  !  He  radiates  fun  and  jollity  ; 
they  shine  from  a  joy-smitten  countenance, 
are  reflected  from  eyes  that  suggest  practical 
jokes  and  antics  of  all  sorts,  and  especially 
are  they  found  in  a  bubbling,  infectious 
laugh,  full  of  ripples  and  good  nature,  that 
flows  from  Mr.  Harlan's  mouth  on  every 
possible  and  impossible  occasion,  like  cham- 
pagne from  an  uncorked  bottle.  The  laugh 
is  always  the  same,  and  according  to  every 
precedent  one  should  after  a  time  get  very 
tired  of  it.  But  somehow  or  other  one  does 
not.  It  is  so  spontaneous,  so  thoroughly 
lifelike,  so  infinitely  sweet-tempered,  that  it 
justifies  itself  even  after  many  repetitions. 


212  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Otis  Harlan  began  his  theatrical  career  as 
a  Hoyt  comedian,  and  he  remained  almost  con- 
tinually in  that  line  of  work  as  long  as  Mr. 
Hoyt  continued  to  write  and  produce  his  farce 
comedies.  It  was  in  the  winter  of  1887  that 
Harlan  first  met  the  playwright.  Harlan  was 
then  a  rosy-cheeked  young  fellow,  little  more 
than  a  boy,  in  school  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  Mr. 
Hoyt  took  an  immense  liking  to  the  lad,  and 
readily  agreed  to  further  the  youth's  dra- 
matic aspirations.  Accordingly,  the  follow- 
ing August,  Mr.  Harlan  made  his  debut  at 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  as  the  Romantic 
Young  Man  in  "A  Hole  in  the  Ground." 
Next  he  created  the  part  of  the  attorney 
with  Frank  Daniels  in  "  Little  Puck,"  after 
which  he  returned  to  Mr.  Hoyt,  and  made  a 
success  as  one  of  the  Razzle-Dazzle  trio 
in  "A  Brass  Monkey."  While  this  farce 
comedy  was  still  a  potent  attraction,  Mr. 
Harlan  made  his  first  and  only  appearance 
in  the  classic  drama.     It  happened  one  sum- 


Otis  Harlan.  213 

mer  in  Savannah,  Georgia,  and  the  play  was 
"Julius  Caesar,"  When  the  stage  manager 
handed  him  the  part  of  the  First  Roman 
Citizen,  Harlan  looked  it  over  contemptu- 
ously, then  returned  it  with  the  remark  that 
he  had  been  engaged  to  play  comedy  parts. 
He  laid  particular  emphasis  on  the  word 
"comedy." 

"It  is  a  comedy  part,"  said  the  stage 
manager. 

"  I  don't  see  where  the  comedy  comes  in," 
replied  Harlan, 

"  You  are  supposed  to  make  the  part 
funny,"  declared  the  stage  manager, 

"  Oh,  I  am,  am  I  ">.  "  demanded  Harlan. 
"All  right,  I'll  do  it," 

Forthwith  Harlan  began  to  cogitate  how 
he  could  make  the  First  Roman  Citizen  a 
comedy  part.  He  concluded  that  he  would 
have  to  introduce  "gags,"  so  he  consulted 
with  Brutus  and  the  leader  of  the  orchestra, 
and  both  these  worthies  agreed  to  help  him. 


214  Celebrated  Comedians. 

At  night,  when  Harlan  made  his  first  en- 
trance, Brutus  demanded  of  him  in  stentorian 
tones : 

"What  wouldst  thou,  most  noble  citizen  ?" 
"A  chord  in  G,"  responded  Harlan,  with  a 
smile,  and  the  accommodating  leader  of  the 
orchestra  struck  the  chord.  To  the  horror 
of  the  admirers  of  the  Bard  of  Avon,  the 
First  Roman  Citizen  started  to  sing  "  The 
Wild  Man  of  Borneo,"  and,  moreover,  he 
sang  it  so  effectively  that  he  had  to  give 
several  encores.  It  ended  his  experience  in 
Shakespeare,  none  the  less. 

Following  "A  Brass  Monkey,"  Mr.  Har- 
lan played  Major  Yell  in  "A  Texas  Steer," 
and  then  created  the  part  of  Awful  Jag 
in  George  Marion's  "Mr.  Marconi."  In 
"Africa,"  George  Thatcher's  experiment  in 
combining  light  comedy  with  minstrelsy, 
Harlan  played  Tippo  Tip,  and  after  that  he 
was  associated  with  May  Irwin  in  "  Boys  and 
Girls."     Next   he    surprised   his  friends   by 


Otis  Harlan.  21 5 

taking  a  flyer  into  legitimate  farce,  and  made 
quite  a  success  as  Spinks,  the  valet  masquer- 
ading as  his  master,  in  "Gloriana."  He 
appeared  for  a  time  in  "  The  Isle  of  Cham- 
pagne," and  when  Seabrooke  brought  out 
"Tobasco,"  Harlan  was  cast  as  the  Grand 
Vizier,  a  part  in  which  he  almost  overshad- 
owed the  star.  His  big  hit  as  Hot  Stuff, 
in  "A  Black  Sheep,"  was  followed  by  his 
appearance  in  the  title  role  of  "  A  Stranger 
in  New  York."  After  that  he  was  seen  in 
Hoyt's  last  successful  production,  "A  Day 
and  a  Night."  The  mock-sanctimonious 
New  Jerseyman  in  "  A  Day  and  a  Night," 
as  presented  by  Mr.  Harlan,  was  decidedly  in 
contrast  with  his  wild  and  woolly  Western 
sport  in  "A  Black  Sheep."  But,  thoroughly 
distinct  as  regards  the  quality  of  humour  as 
were  these  two  parts,  Mr.  Harlan  was  equally 
as  successful  in  keeping  his  audiences  amused 
over  the  hypocrisies  of  the  goody  Sunday- 
school    young    man,    as    he    was    when    he 


2i6  Celebrated  Comedians. 

rattlety-banged  through  the  noisy  capers  of 
the  very  swift  Hot  Stuff. 

During  the  summer  of  1900  Harlan  acted 
Valentine  in  a  very  ordinary  summer  pro- 
duction in  Boston,  called  "  Very  Little  Faust 
and  Too  Much  Marguerite." 


RICHARD    (  ARI.R. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

RICHARD    CARLE. 

Following  the  lead  of  the  comedians  of 
"The  Belle  of  New  York  "  company  and  that 
of  the  elongated  DeWolf  Hopper,  Richard 
Carle,  who  for  many  seasons  had  pursued 
fame  as  an  operatic  comedian  in  the  United 
States  with  satisfactory  though  by  no  means 
startling  results,  journeyed  to  London  in  the 
spring  of  1900.  He  went  as  a  member  of 
"  An  American  Beauty "  company,  but  the 
Londoners  —  doubtless  for  good  and  sufficient 
reasons  —  were  not  especially  interested  in 
that  show.  Carle,  however,  succeeded  in  at- 
tracting considerable  favourable  notice,  though 
it  was  not  until  "The  Casino  Girl,"  to  the 
cast  of  which  Carle  was  kindly  transferred 
217 


2 1 8  Celebrated  Comedians. 

by  a  thoughtful,  not  to  say  paternal,  manage- 
ment, was  substituted  for  "  An  American 
Beauty,"  just  in  time  to  head  off  reports  of 
complete  failure,  that  Carle's  star  twinkled 
in  all  its  splendour.  He  scored  mightily  in 
"The  Casino  Girl,"  and  accordingly  he  at 
once  became  a  person  of  assured  prominence 
in  the  operatic  field. 

If  you  have  never  seen  the  average  English 
singing  comedian  in  full  action,  you  perhaps 
wonder  why  all  these  players  from  this  side 
—  men  for  whom  we  have  a  high  regard,  but 
whom  we  have  never  considered  as  in  the 
least  remarkable  —  can  make  such  a  tempest 
in  a  teapot  when  they  get  to  Great  Britain. 
There  is  James  E.  Sullivan,  whose  polite 
lunatic  in  "  The  Belle  of  New  York  "  seems 
to  have  given  him  a  sinecure  for  life  in  the 
London  music  halls,  and  again  there  is  Frank 
Lawton,  who  for  years  played  the  whistling 
baggage-master  in  Charles  H.  Hoyt's  "A 
Hole  in  the  Ground,"  without   causing  any 


Richard  Carle.  219 

undue  excitement  in  this  country.  He,  too, 
is  reclining  on  the  downy  couch  of  content- 
ment, surrounded  by  an  admiring  British  pub- 
lic. I  repeat,  if  you  have  never  experienced 
at  first  hand  the  riotous  humour  of  the  Eng- 
lish comedian,  you  are  undoubtedly  surprised 
at  the  reputations  so  suddenly  acquired  by 
these  American  players.  If,  however,  you 
are  somewhat  familiar  with  the  methods  of 
the  English  buffoon,  your  astonishment  will 
be  decidedly  modified.  The  general  run  of 
English  comedians  are  without  the  lightness 
of  touch,  the  finesse,  and  the  spontaneity  of 
the  American  actor  in  the  same  line  of  work. 
The  Englishman  is  apt  to  be  heavy,  ponder- 
ous, and  crude,  and  even  the  best  of  them 
pun  most  atrociously.  To  be  sure,  the 
Britisher  is  usually  more  of  a  character 
actor  than  his  American  prototype,  but  his 
lack  of  keenness  and  incisiveness  more  often 
than  not  counterbalance  this  claim  for  recog- 
nition. 


220  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Richard  Carle  was  no  tyro,  however,  when 
he  went  abroad  and  proceeded  to  dazzle  the 
Englishman  with  his  wealth  of  mannerisms 
and  numberless  laughter-provoking  antics. 
Carle  was  born  in  Somerville,  Massachusetts, 
a  suburb  of  Boston.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  high  school  in  his  native  city,  and  then 
for  three  years  engaged  in  lyceum  work, 
gaining  quite  a  reputation  among  the  villages 
and  mountain  hamlets  of  New  England  as  a 
platform  humourist.  His  first  appearance  as 
a  professional  actor  was  made  with  James  T. 
Powers  and  Peter  F.  Dailey  in  "A  Straight 
Tip."  After  that  he  was  with  Joe  Ott  in  a 
farce  comedy  called  "The  Star  Gazer,"  and 
this  engagement  was  followed  by  his  appear- 
ance in  "Excelsior,  Jr.,"  and  "The  Lady 
Slavey."  Carle's  success  in  the  last-named 
comedy  brought  him  prominently  before  the 
New  York  public,  and  in  recent  years  his 
work  has  been  largely  confined  to  that  city, 
his  most  notable  engagements  being  in  "  One 


Richard  Carle.  221 

Round  of  Pleasure,"  "In  Gotham,"  "A  Dan- 
gerous Maid,"  "  Yankee  Doodle  Dandy," 
"  Children  of  the  Ghetto,"  "  A  Greek  Slave," 
and  "  Mam'selle  'Awkins."  Carle  pleaded 
guilty  to  being  the  author  of  this  latter  show, 
and  some  day  the  sin  may  be  forgiven  him. 

Richard  Carle's  most  notable  achievement 
in  dramatic  art,  since  his  career  as  an  actor 
began,  was  undoubtedly  his  creation  of  the 
character  of  Shossi  Shmendrik,  the  shy  car- 
penter in  Israel  Zangwill's  ill-starred  drama- 
tisation of  "Children  of  the  Ghetto."  This 
play  was  produced  in  Washington  on  Sept. 
1 8,  1899,  and  proved  to  be  a  puzzler  for 
both  public  and  critics.  The  work  was  one 
of  decided  originality  and  considerable  dra- 
matic value.  It  dealt  strongly  with  atmosphere 
and  local  colour,  and  its  character  drawing 
was  exceptionally  fine,  —  delicate,  yet  dramat- 
ically effective.  It  lacked,  however,  the  con- 
ventional coherency  of  the  average  money- 
making   play   of   the   theatre,  and    whether 


222  Celebrated  Comedians. 

its  remarkable  success  in  transferring  real 
scenes  and  real  people  to  the  stage  was  suffi- 
cient to  counterbalance  its  want  of  theatrical 
force  has  never  been  intelligently  determined. 
In  both  New  York  and  London  the  play 
failed,  but  even  with  those  two  black  marks 
against  it,  the  play  toured  the  minor  circuits 
of  the  United  States  during  the  season  of 
1 899- 1 900,  with  profit  to  its  projectors. 

One  thing  that  showed  conclusively  the 
unusual  power  of  Mr.  Zangwill's  character 
drawing  was  the  fact  that  every  actor  in  the 
large  cast  —  and  a  number  of  the  players, 
like  Mr.  Carle,  were  experimenting  in  new 
lines  of  work  —  was  credited  with  appearing 
to  the  very  best  advantage.  Mr.  Carle's 
part  was  a  small  and  rather  unimportant 
one,  a  character  study,  however,  in  the  finest 
sense  of  the  term.  He  succeeded  wonder- 
fully in  individualising  and  humanising  the 
man,  Shossi  Shmendrik,  diffusing  him  with 
a  sympathy  that  was  as  potent  in  its  influ- 


Richard  Carle.  223 

ence  as  it  was  subtle  in  its  workings.  How- 
ever lightly  one  may  have  held  Mr.  Carle's 
talent  as  an  actor,  judging  him  from  his 
methods  in  opera  and  in  burlesque,  one  was 
compelled  to  revise  the  uncomplimentary  ver- 
dict after  seeing  him  in  "  Children  of  the 
Ghetto." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

DIGBY    BELL. 

DiGBY  Bell's  professional  career  has  been 
one  of  extremes,  and,  moreover,  it  has  been 
that  most  pathetic  of  all  hfe  experiences,  a 
career  in  which  all  the  vicissitudes  of  for- 
tune, instead  of  exhausting  themselves  by 
the  checking  for  a  time  the  advancement  of 
the  sturdy  beginner,  held  their  strength  in 
reserve  to  assault  the  veteran,  who,  wearied 
with  the  years  of  hard  and  conscientious 
labour,  had  a  right  to  expect  rest  and  peace 
at  last.  Season  after  season  Digby  Bell  pur- 
sued the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  amusing  the 
public  and  drawing  his  salary  in  contentment. 
At  last  he  reached  stardom,  and  immediately 
his  troubles  began.  Poor  management  rather 
224 


^ 


DIGBY  BELL 
ill    '■  Jupiter." 


Digby  Bell.  22$ 

than  artistic  failure  finally  killed  the  venture, 
and  the  star  suddenly  found  himself  face  to 
face  with  the  necessity,  either  of  taking  a 
step  backward  and  becoming  the  support  of 
some  other  star,  or  of  entering  a  new  field 
entirely.  He  tried  the  first  alternative,  and 
found  it  unsatisfactory.  Then  he  tried  the 
second,  making  an  excellent  start  in  the 
comedy  field  in  Hoyt's  "  A  Midnight  Bell." 
Other  attempts  along  the  same  line  resulted 
in  disaster,  however,  and  the  comedian  sought 
refuge  in  vaudeville,  where  he  was  well  re- 
ceived, and  where  he  will,  in  all  Hkelihood, 
remain  for  the  present. 

Yet  there  is  no  reason  why  Digby  Bell 
should  not  succeed,  moderately  well  at 
any  rate,  in  comedy  dealing  realistically 
with  the  quaint  and  common  side  of  human 
nature.  He  has  the  instinct  for  character 
impersonation,  and  his  sense  of  humour  is 
of  that  broad  and  rather  primitive  variety, 
which    fits  admirably   into    reproductions    of 


226  Celebrated  Comedians. 

types  of  lowly  life.  In  some  measure  he 
has  the  instinct  for  pathos,  a  strictly  the- 
atrical pathos,  to  be  sure,  of  the  Little  Eva 
kind,  but  effective  in  its  place  if  not  put  on 
too  thickly.  I  should  not  be  wholly  sur- 
prised at  any  time  to  learn  that  Mr.  Bell  had 
made  a  lasting  impression  in  a  drama  deal- 
ing with  country  life,  if  ever  again  he  have 
the  courage  to  assail  the  bulwarks  of  public 
opinion  and  popular  prejudice. 

Digby  Bell  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  but 
his  parents  moved  to  New  York  City  when 
he  was  five  years  old,  and  in  that  city  he  was 
brought  up.  His  father  was  a  Wall  Street 
broker,  and  it  was  not  until  he  failed  that 
the  son  gave  any  thought  to  the  necessity 
of  earning  his  own  living.  After  disaster 
came,  Digby  Bell  first  secured  a  position  as 
cabin  passenger  clerk  with  the  White  Star 
Steamship  Company.  He  was  gifted  with  a 
baritone  voice  of  excellent  quality,  and  he 
finally  decided  that   it  was  worth   having  it 


Digby  Bell.  227 

trained  for  opera.  With  this  purpose  in 
view  he  went  to  Italy,  where  he  studied 
music  for  five  years.  His  d^but  as  an 
operatic  baritone  was  made  on  the  island 
of  Malta  as  the  Count,  the  leading  baritone 
r61e  in  "  Sonnambula."  i| 

"  I  shall  never  forget  that  night  as  long  dfe 
I  live,"  remarked  Mr.  Bell,  "  The  Duke  of 
Edinburgh,  governor  of  the  island,  was  \o 
be  in  the  audience  with  all  the  swell  people 
of  his  set,  and  General  Grant,  then  on  Ws 
tour  around  the  world,  was  another  notable 
announced  to  listen  to  my  first  professional 
attempt  as  a  singer.  It  being  the  time  of 
one  of  the  Franco-something-or-other  dis- 
turbances, the  whole  Mediterranean  fleet 
was  anchored  off  Malta,  and,  of  course,  the 
oflficers,  resplendent  in  gold  lace,  would  at- 
tend. I  became  disgusted  with  the  costume 
allotted  me,  and  in  my  innocence  went  to 
the  tenor  of  the  company,  instead  of  to  the 
stage-manager,  for  advice.      I  asked  him  if  T 


228  Celebrated  Comedians. 

couldn't  make  some  change  and  yet  be  ar- 
tistically correct.  '  I  can't  go  on  in  these 
togs,'  I  declared.  '  They  make  me  look  like 
a  barber  in  a  fit.  I  don't  like  lambrequins 
on  my  legs,  and  the  colour  doesn't  suit  my 
complexion.'  Very  sympathetic  indeed  was 
my  confidant.  He  suggested  that  I  dress 
the  part  as  Faure  had  done,  in  a  riding-suit, 
high  boots,  fall  of  lace,  and  a  generally  much 
more  becoming  costume.  Delighted  with  the 
suggestion,  I  went  to  a  tailor,  and  at  my  own 
expense  (I  may  add  in  parenthesis  that  I  was 
very  young  in  the  business)  ordered  the  rig. 
The  eventful  night  came,  and  I,  full  of  ner- 
vous anticipation,  but  resolved  to  do  or  die, 
went  on.  Such  a  reception  I  have  never 
experienced  since.  Maltese  cats,  it  seemed 
to  me,  had  broken  loose  in  every  part  of 
the  house.  There  were  hisses  and  cries 
of  '  Canis  ! '  which,  translated,  means  dog, 
and  other  complimentary  epithets  positively 
showered    upon    me.      I    didn't    know    what 


Digby  Bell.  229 

was  the  matter,  but  it  finally  dawned  upon 
me  that  my  beautiful  costume  had  offended 
these  sticklers  for  tradition.  Every  great 
artist  that  they  had  ever  seen  in  the  role  had 
worn  the  lambrequins,  and  they  hissed  the 
presumption  of  this  newcomer  who  dared  to 
inaugurate  such  a  startling  innovation.  That 
I  was  unnerved  goes  without  saying,  but,  after 
awhile,  I  pulled  myself  together,  bracing  my- 
self up  by  asking  under  my  breath,  '  Now  are 
you  going  to  break  down,  after  your  mother 
has  spent  good  money  for  five  years  on  your 
musical  education,  without  even  making  an 
effort  to  win  their  good-will  t '  This  specious 
reasoning  caused  me  to  sing  with  all  my 
might,  my  pluck  making  the  English  por- 
tion of  the  audience  take  my  part,  and 
the  next  night,  when  I  donned  the  lam- 
brequins, the  Maltese  were  satisfied,  and 
were  as  cordial  in  their  approval  of  my  per- 
formance as  they  had  been  antagonistic  on 
the  first  evening. 


230  Celebrated  Comedians. 

"  My  becoming  a  comedian  was  brought 
about  by  what  might  be  called  a  freak  of  for- 
tune," continued  Mr.  Bell.  "When  I  re- 
turned to  this  country,  I  started  out  in  Italian 
opera,  but  finding  that  I  would  be  wearing 
fringe  on  my  trousers  if  I  continued  in  that 
line,  I  next  took  up  opera  in  English.  The 
company  was  stranded  in  Montreal,  and  our 
only  way  of  getting  out  of  town  was  to  pro- 
duce '  Pinafore,'  which  had  not  then  been 
done  in  Canada.  I  was  cast  for  Sir  Joseph 
Porter,  and  well  do  I  remember  how  much 
beneath  me  I  considered  the  part.  But 
laughter  proved  a  very  pleasing  recognition 
of  my  first  efforts  as  a  comedian,  and  by  the 
time  we  had  played  three  weeks  in  Canada 
I  felt  that  I  had  found  the  proper  place  at 
last.  From  there  we  went  to  Hooley's  Thea- 
tre in  Chicago,  then  through  New  York 
State,  and  from  that  time  grand  opera  has 
not  once  had  the  power  to  lure  me  into 
impecunious  paths." 


Digby  Bell.  231 

Speaking  of  the  work  of  the  comedian  in 
opera,  Mr.  Bell  said  : 

"  Still,  the  comedian  of  a  modern  comic 
opera  has  not  the  easiest  task  on  earth.  In 
the  first  place,  with  the  exception  of  the  Gil- 
bert and  Sullivan  operettas,  the  comedian  has 
to  write  his  own  part  to  fit  the  public  taste. 
In  Gilbert's  librettos  this  work  is  all  mapped 
out,  and  the  only  thing  required  is  a  careful 
and  intelligent  study  of  the  part.  But  in  the 
modern  comic  opera  all  is  very  different. 
The  first  thing  I  used  to  do  every  morning 
was  to  read  thoroughly  the  newspapers  to 
see  what  had  happened  of  local  interest  that 
might  be  worked  into  a  *gag.'  Then  I 
passed  over  my  ideas,  if  I  thought  they  were 
all  right  for  the  topical  song,  to  some  one 
who  could  put  them  into  verse.  No,  I  didn't 
compose  the  verses  myself.  I  shouldn't  have 
been  drawing  my  salary  long  if  I  had  allowed 
myself  to  stray  at  will  in  the  fields  of  poesy. 
Rhymes  are  not  my  strong  point.   Frequently 


232  Celebrated  Comedians. 

excellent  hits  were  made,  which  helped  me 
out  wonderfully.  Then,  too,  incidents  were 
constantly  taking  place  on  the  stage,  which 
were  worked  up.  The  causes  were  not 
always  apparent  to  the  audience,  but  the 
people  saw  the  results.  Indeed,  I  seldom 
played  a  comic  opera  part  twice  exactly  alike. 
An  actor,  who  has  been  any  length  of  time 
on  the  stage,  learns  to  size  up  the  temper  of 
his  audiences,  and  govern  himself  accordingly. 
I  played  in  many  of  the  Gilbert  and  Sullivan 
operettas,  and  also  did  not  a  little  low  comedy, 
but  the  changing  from  one  type  to  another 
rather  unsettled  me  as  regards  the  public. 
Probably  I  should  have  got  along  better  if 
I  had  stuck  faithfully  to  one  line.  I  always 
tried  to  make  a  difference  between  what 
might  be  called  legitimate  operatic  comedy, 
such  as  Koko  in  '  The  Mikado,'  and  the 
parson  in  '  The  Sorcerer,'  and  clowning.  It 
was  often  difficult  to  do  so,  for  the  public 
seemed  fond  of  a  certain  amount  of  buffoon- 


Digby  Bell.  233 

ery,  and  the  temptation  of  an  actor  to  fish 
for  applause  is  very  great.  However,  I 
believe  that  a  position  between  the  two  ex- 
tremes is  better  in  the  long  run." 

For  many  years  Mr.  Bell  was  the  leading 
comedian  with  Colonel  McCaull  and  J.  C. 
Duff.  He  was,  in  fact,  the  first  of  the  Mc- 
Caull comedians.  When  McCaull  organised 
a  second  company  he  engaged  DeWolf  Hop- 
per, and  afterward  Hopper  and  Bell  were  in 
the  same  organisation.  Some  of  Mr.  Bell's 
best  known  parts  were  Koko  in  "  The 
Mikado,"  Bunthorne  in  "  Patience,"  Charles 
Favart  in  ''Madame  Favart,"  Charity  Boy  in 
"Charity  Begins  at  Home,"  Doctor  Daly  in 
"The  Sorcerer,"  and  Matt  in  "Indiana." 
He  starred  in  "Jupiter"  and  "Tar  and  Tar- 
tar," and  spent  a  season  with  Lillian  Russell, 
appearing  in  "  The  Grand  Duchess "  and 
"  Princess  Nicotine."  Then  he  tried  valiantly 
to  establish  himself  as  a  star  in  sentimental 
comedy  of  the  homely  school,  of  which  Sol 


234  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Smith  Russell  is  so  worthy  an  exponent.  He 
was  successful  in  Charles  H.  Hoyt's  "  A 
Midnight  Bell,"  but  after  that  found  he  could 
not  get  the  public  to  accept  him  outside  of 
his  old  environment.  For  several  seasons 
past  Mr.  Bell  has  been  in  vaudeville. 

In  1882  Mr.  Bell  married  Laura  Joyce, 
then  a  prominent  contralto  in  light  opera. 
She  was  born  in  Newport,  England,  on  May 
6,  1856,  the  daughter  of  Dauncey  Maskell,  a 
theatrical  manager.  After  graduating  from 
the  London  Academy  of  Music,  she  made  her 
debut  in  the  spring  of  1871  at  St.  George's 
Hall,  Langham  Place,  London,  as  Gertrude 
in  J.  R.  Blanche's  vaudeville,  "The  Loan  of 
a  Lover."  She  travelled  in  the  English 
provinces  under  her  father's  management  in 
an  entertainment  called  "  Happy  Hours," 
and  was  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Manchester, 
for  a  season,  after  which  she  accepted  Dion 
Boucicault's  offer  of  an  engagement  as  sou- 
brette   at   the    Covent    Garden    Theatre    in 


Digby  Bell.  235 

London.  She  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  early  seventies,  appearing  first  at 
Niblo's  Garden  in  New  York,  where  she- 
made  a  great  hit  by  singing  the  "Blue  Dan- 
ube" waltz.  She  created  the  part  of  Evan- 
geline in  the  Edward  E.  Rice  burlesque,  and 
that  of  Prince  Amabel  in  "  King  Turko." 
After  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Bell  she  played 
almost  invariably  in  the  same  companies  with 
which  he  was  connected,  making  with  him 
the  plunge  into  comedy,  though  not  following 
him  into  vaudeville. 

Mr.  Bell's  comedy  productions  were 
Thomas's  "The  Hoosier  Doctor"  and  "Joe 
Hurst,  Gentleman,"  founded  on  Mrs.  Bur- 
nett's story.  "The  Hoosier  Doctor"  was 
artistically  a  success,  —  some  have  called  the 
play  the  best  Mr.  Thomas  ever  wrote,  —  and 
Mr.  Bell's  work  was  exquisite,  quiet,  but 
effective  in  humour,  abounding  in  sincere 
pathos  and  dehcate  sentiment.  "  Joe  Hurst  " 
was  a  failure  both  artistically  and  financially. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

JEFFERSON    DE    ANGELIS, 

It  was  an  odd  freak  of  fate  that  kept 
Jefferson  De  Angelis  so  long  from  the 
galaxy  —  a  noble  word,  verily  —  of  stars. 
Season  after  season  he  faithfully  paddled 
some  one  else's  canoe,  doing  the  brunt  of  the 
work,  and  wondering,  perhaps,  when  his  turn 
for  the  biggest  letters  on  the  three-sheet 
posters  would  come.  Occasionally  he  would 
vary  the  monotony  of  playing  second  fiddle 
with  an  experiment  as  first  violin.  He 
would  start  bravely  forth  as  a  star,  but  he 
never  seemed  to  hit  it  just  right,  and  back 
he  would  go  to  yeoman  service  in  the  ranks. 
At  last,  in  the  fall  of  1898,  De  Angelis 
struck  oil  with  a  rather  commonplace  comic 
236 


JEFFERSON   UK  ANGELIS 
in    "The    jolly    Musketeer." 


Jefferson  De  Angel  is.  237 

opera,  by  Stanislaus  Stange  and  Julian  Ed- 
wards, called  "  The  Jolly  Musketeer."  Why 
the  work  caught  on  at  all  —  unless  because 
it  came  at  a  time  when  anything  with  mus- 
keteer attached  to  it  was  bound  to  make  a 
hit  —  is  a  mystery,  but  "The  Jolly  Musket- 
eer" apparently  was  liked,  for  De  Angelis 
continued  it  for  two  seasons. 

Still  the  opera  did  not  show  the  comedian 
at  his  best,  for  the  reason  that  it  did  not  per- 
form its  most  important  function  as  drama,  — 
that  of  exciting  and  maintaining  interest.  Ex- 
cept that  it  provided  a  rather  colourless  back- 
ground for  De  Angelis's  virtuosity,  the  opera 
was  never  for  a  moment  in  evidence  as  an 
active  assistant  to  the  comedian.  The  credit, 
therefore,  for  pushing  this  indifferent  material 
through  two  seasons  should  be  given  entirely 
to  Mr.  De  Angelis,  who  may  be  said  to  have 
been  long  in  all  the  essential  qualities  in 
which   his  opera  was  short. 

Nevertheless,  the  extra  effort  had  a  dis- 


238  Celebrated  Comedians. 

tinct  influence  on  his  acting.  De  Angelis 
unites  in  a  manner  most  original  the 
bubbhng  merriment  of  the  comedian  of 
temperament  with  the  physical  activity  and 
eccentricity  of  the  comedian  devoted  abso- 
lutely to  the  acrobatic  school.  It  takes  a 
genius  to  fill  an  entire  evening  with  subtle 
and  artistic  clowning,  —  a  genius  unknown  so 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  —  and  it  was  not  sur- 
prising, therefore,  that  De  Angelis,  before 
the  final  curtain  of  "The  Jolly  Musketeer" 
fell,  found  it  imperative  to  resort  to  primi- 
tive methods  in  order  to  raise  a  laugh,  or  to 
provide  the  semblance  of  mirth.  Thus  he 
suffered  from  the  effects  of  a  monopoly. 
Knowing  that  he  was  about  all  there  was  on 
the  stage  of  more  than  passing  interest,  he 
felt  compelled  to  make  as  much  as  possible 
of  himself,  so  that  the  necessary  amount  of 
entertainment  might  be  in  evidence.  Of 
course  the  quality  of  his  work  was  sacrificed 
for    quantity.      Properly  cast    and  not  over- 


Jefferson  Dc  Angelis.  239 

burdened  with  responsibility,  De  Angelis  is  a 
character  actor  of  no  mean  ability,  as  well  as 
a  fun-maker  of  ingenious  devices  and  original 
methods.  There  was  character  drawing  in 
"The  Jolly  Musketeer,"  but  it  was  fearfully 
diluted  with  a  superabundance  of  gymnastics. 
Jefferson  De  Angelis  was  born  in  San 
Francisco,  about  the  middle  of  the  century, 
and  his  stage  career  began  when  he  was  a 
child,  in  the  old  Olympic  Theatre  of  that 
city,  a  small  and  insignificant  building  that 
disappeared  long  ago.  Like  Joseph  Jeffer- 
son, from  whom  came  his  name,  De  Angelis 
was  practically  born  and  bred  on  the  stage, 
being  a  scion  of  the  once  celebrated  De 
Angelis  family,  which  toured  the  country  a 
generation  ago.  Their  line  was  what  would 
be  nowadays  called  variety  work,  but  times 
were  different  then,  and  they  posed  as  public 
entertainers.  Travelling  being  difficult,  they 
would  often  stay  several  months  in  one  city 
before  moving  on    to  the  next,   for   life    on 


240  Celebrated  Comedians. 

the  road  was  then  anything  but  enviable. 
Strange  to  say,  the  young  "  Jeff  "  De  An- 
gelis  showed  a  greater  fondness  for  the 
mechanical  trades  than  he  did  for  the  thea- 
tre. He  was  a  great  collector  of  tools,  sav- 
ing up  all  his  spare  change  to  purchase 
planes,  saws,  brace  and  bits,  and  other  uten- 
sils of  the  carpenter's  craft.  If  he  had  de- 
veloped his  own  way  he  would  probably  have 
become  a  competent  stage  carpenter,  instead 
of  a  comedian.  But  fate,  in  the  person  of  a 
stern  father,  directed  it  otherwise. 

During  several  months'  stay  in  Indianapo- 
lis the  youngster  had  procured  quite  a  stock 
of  tools,  which  he  packed  into  a  large  valise 
when  the  order  came  to  move  to  Galveston, 
Texas.  During  the  trip,  which  occupied 
several  days,  and  involved  endless  changes  of 
cars,  this  very  heavy  valise  fell  to  the  lot 
of  the  elder  De  Angelis,  a  peculiar  as  well  as 
a  talented  man,  to  carry.  For  two  days  he 
bore  the  burden  uncomplainingly  and  without 


Jefferson  De  Angclis.  241 

question,  but  finally,  as  they  were  walking 
across  a  long  bridge  at  Baton  Rouge,  his 
patient  spirit  broke. 

"Sue,"  he  said  to  his  wife,  "what  under 
the  sun  is  in  this  valise  ?  " 

"  Why,  Jeffy's  tools,"  responded  the  fond 
mother. 

There  was  a  great  splash,  and  the  river 
swallowed  up  Jefferson  De  Angelis's  tools 
and  his  ambition  to  become  a  carpenter 
simultaneously.  That  was  a  good  many 
years  ago,  and  although  one  would  never 
think  it  to  look  at  him,  De  Angelis  has  seen 
service  on  the  stages  of  many  lands  and 
climes  since  then. 

He,  himself,  does  not  remember  the  date 
of  his  first  public  appearance,  except  that  it 
was  some  time  in  1865.  The  play  in  which 
he  took  part  was  a  farce,  and  among  his  as- 
sociates were  several  actors  that  afterward 
became  very  well  known,  among  them  Lotta, 
Backus,  Birch,  Bernard,  the  Worrill  sisters, 


242  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Maggie  Moore,  who  afterward  married  J.  C. 
Williamson,  the  Australian  manager,  and 
John   De  Angelis,  Jefferson's  father. 

"You  see,"  remarked  De  Angelis,  "I 
inherited  my  place  in  the  theatre,  for  my 
father,  sister,  uncles,  aunts,  and  cousins  were 
on  the  stage.  It  was  a  sort  of  legacy,  which 
I  was  bound  to  accept. 

"  My  sister  Sarah  —  she  was  professionally 
known  as  La  Petite  Sally  —  and  I  started  out 
in   1 87 1   on  our  own  account,"  he  continued. 
*'  We  had  two  or  three  little  sketches  or  one- 
act  plays  and  did  a  turn  in  the  variety  the- 
atres.     We   left    San    Francisco    and    came 
East,  acting  on  the  way.      Our  pieces  were 
something  after  the  order  of  those  that  Har- 
rigan  and  Hart  used  to  do,  and  as  we  could 
sing,  we  found  no  difificulty  in  filling  profita- 
ble engagements  of  several  weeks  each.    The 
variety  business  of  those  days  was  conducted 
differently  than  the  vaudeville  of  to-day,  and 
one  stayed  in  a  town  until  he  wore  out  his 


Jefferson  De  Angelis.  243 

welcome.  Thus,  for  example,  we  appeared 
for  twelve  continuous  weeks  at  the  Howard 
Athenaeum  in  Boston,  when  John  Stetson 
was  its  manager." 

This  continued  until  1879,  when  the  pair 
found  themselves  again  in  San  Francisco. 
From  here  they  started  forth  once  more 
with  a  play  written  for  them  by  Fred 
Maeder,  who  belonged  to  the  old  theatrical 
family  of  Maeders  and  was  a  son  of  Clara 
Fisher  Maeder.  The  play  was  called  "  One 
Word,"  and  Mr.  De  Angelis  acknowledges 
that  it  was  pretty  poor  stuff,  measured  by  a 
fair  standard,  though  he  adds  that  it  an- 
swered its  purpose  at  the  time.  Next  they 
heard  that  their  old  friends,  J.  C.  Williamson 
and  Maggie  Moore,  were  reaping  a  golden 
harvest  in  Australia,  and  De  Angelis  and  his 
sister  were  inspired  to  go  and  do  likewise. 

"We  struck  Sydney,"  said  De  Angelis, 
"  but  to  our  sorrow  the  gold  did  not  pour 
into  our   exchequer,  and,  on  the  whole,  our 


244  Celebrated  Comedians. 

season  was  disastrous.  In  1881,  however,  I 
was  fortunate  enough  to  meet  a  man  who 
had  money,  as  well  as  faith  in  my  sister  and 
myself,  and  together  we  organised  an  opera 
company.  Our  repertoire  included  all  that 
Gilbert  and  SuUivan  had  written  up  to  that 
time,  and  some  French  operettas,  and  we 
also  played  '  Our  Boys,'  '  Caste,'  '  The  Two 
Roses,'  and  other  comedies  of  a  similar  na- 
ture. We  acted  all  through  Australia,  going 
as  far  as  Cookstown,  which  was,  in  fact,  as 
far  we  could  go,  for  one  is  then  at  the  sea, 
besides  being  within  nineteen  miles  of  the 
equator.  The  town  got  its  name  because 
it  was  supposed  to  be  the  first  place  that 
Captain  Cook  touched  on  his  voyage  of  dis- 
covery, and  when  we  visited  it,  it  had  a 
population  of  only  six  hundred.  Theatrical 
companies  very  rarely  ventured  to  the  place, 
naturally,  but  we  were  on  our  way  to  India 
and  Africa,  and  Cookstown  was  a  favourable 
point  at  which  to  embark. 


Jefferson  De  Angelis.  245 

"A  little  incident  happened  there  which 
nearly  proved  very  serious  to  me.  We  se- 
cured the  only  hall  in  town,  and  were  to  have 
it  rent  free,  provided  we  would  erect  our  own 
stage,  and  leave  it  there  when  we  went  away. 
We  could  not  get  carpenters  who  knew  how 
to  build  a  stage,  and  so  I  and  one  or  two 
others  in  the  company,  who  had  some  knowl- 
edge of  the  use  of  tools,  went  to  work.  It 
was  desirable  that  a  lot  of  flags,  which  had 
been  hung  near  the  ceiling  for  a  ball,  should 
be  taken  down.  The  ceiling  was  about  thirty- 
five  feet  high,  and  the  only  ladder  that  could 
be  obtained  was  made  out  of  bamboo,  and 
was  a  withy,  wriggling  sort  of  an  affair.  I 
went  up,  however,  and  began  to  pull  down 
the  bunting,  a  member  of  the  company  hold- 
ing the  ladder  at  the  foot.  While  I  was  on 
the  upper  round,  some  one  came  in  with  a 
letter  for  the  man  that  was  holding  my 
ladder,  and,  forgetting  all  about  me  in  his 
desire  to  read  the  news  from  home,  he  let 


246  Celebrated  Comedians. 

go  his  hold,  and  quicker  than  a  flash  the 
ladder  slipped  and  I  began  to  descend. 
Frantically  I  grabbed  for  the  iron  rods 
that  strengthened  the  walls,  but  only  the 
ends  of  my  fingers  touched  them,  and  I 
swung  down.  I  leaped  desperately  to  catch 
the  frail  ladder  that  I  had  just  left,  which 
had  been  checked  in  its  descent  by  coming 
in  contact  with  something  on  the  wall.  But 
it  was  all  in  vain.  Down  I  went,  but,  in 
jumping  for  the  ladder,  I  turned  so  that, 
when  I  struck,  I  sat  squarely  and  fairly  on 
a  chair,  smashing  it  into  fragments,  and 
when  I  got  up  I  was,  to  the  surprise  of 
my  companion,  but  little  worse  for  my 
experience. 

"  We  remained  in  this  little  place  for  three 
months,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  and  did  a 
fine  business,  playing  three  times  a  week. 
It  was  a  gala  time  for  the  people,  who  treated 
us  in  the  most  hospitable  manner,  and  re- 
garded the  whole  show  period  much  as  peo- 


Jefferson  Dc  Angelis.  247 

pie  regard  a  great  fair.  Finally  we  left  town, 
taking  passage  for  Hongkong." 

The  company  stayed  in  Hongkong  for 
three  months,  going  from  there  to  Singapore, 
Calcutta,  and  Bombay,  stopping  on  the  way 
at  Allahabad,  where  De  Angelis  had  another 
adventure,  which  he  relates  as  follows  : 

"  On  the  night  of  the  first  performance  I 
found,  when  I  reached  the  theatre,  that  I  had 
forgotten  some  of  my  'props.'  I  was  obliged 
to  go  back  to  the  hotel,  and  as  there  was  but 
little  time  I  had  to  hurry.  At  the  hotel  I 
asked  for  a  short  cut  to  the  theatre,  and  was 
directed  to  go  across  a  field.  I  did  so,  rush- 
ing along  at  full  speed,  with  my  head  down, 
and  my  eyes  on  the  ground,  watching  out 
for  ditches  and  bog-holes.  Suddenly  I  ran 
against  a  huge  something  that  was  as  unyield- 
ing as  a  rock,  and  down  I  went  in  a  heap. 
As  soon  as  I  collected  my  senses  I  got  up 
and  investigated.  There  stood  a  big  elephant, 
swinging  his  head  and  trunk  like  the  pendu- 


248  Celebrated  Comedians. 

lum  of  a  clock,  and  utterly  oblivious,  appar- 
ently, of  the  fellow  that  had  thumped  up 
against  him. 

"  I  also  had  a  peculiar  experience  on  our 
trip  up  the  sacred  river  Ganges.  We  came 
across  a  fat,  pudgy-looking  old  Hindoo  sitting 
on  a  tomb.  We  were  told  that  he  had  been 
there  for  fifty  years,  and  that  he  was  re- 
garded as  an  object  of  veneration  by  the 
people.  He  was  surrounded  at  all  times  by 
a  body-guard  of  priests,  who  fleeced  every- 
body that  happened  along,  begging  for  the 
temple,  or  selling  trinkets.  We  were  told 
that  no  one  could  approach  within  three  feet 
of  the  tomb  on  penalty  of  death.  It  was 
said  that  the  bones  of  the  old  fellow's  father 
and  mother  were  buried  there,  and  that  the 
dutiful  son  had  erected  the  tomb  to  the 
memory  of  his  parents.  I  was  rather  reck- 
less, and  strolled  about  the  place,  finally 
jumping  up  beside  the  old  chap,  without  the 
slightest  regard  for  the  danger-line.     There 


Jejfcrson  Dc  Angelis.  249 

I  was  discovered  trying  to  scrape  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Hindoo.  Immediately  a  cry 
was  raised  by  the  priests,  and  a  grand  rush 
was  made  for  me.  I  never  let  my  natural 
valour  get  me  into  trouble  if  my  legs  will 
save  me,  and  so  I  bolted.  I  was  chased  by 
the  whole  crowd,  but  I  was  too  fleet  of  foot 
for  them  and  escaped." 

Three  more  months  were  spent  at  Bombay, 
and  a  trip  to  South  Africa  was  next  decided 
upon,  half  on  business  and  half  on  pleasure. 
The  management  agreed  to  pay  expenses  all 
the  time,  and  salary  when  any  acting  was 
done.  It  was  while  the  company  was  in 
Africa  that  Mr.  De  Angelis's  sister  died. 
The  party  was  bound  for  Cape  Town,  but  as 
there  was  no  steamer  line  to  that  port  from 
Bombay  the  players  were  obliged  to  go  to 
Mauritius  by  sailing-vessel.  The  trip  was  far 
from  a  pleasant  one,  for  first  a  terrific  mon- 
soon nearly  wrecked  the  ship,  and  then  a  calm 
kept  the  party  drifting  around  for  nearly  a 


250  Celebrated  Comedians. 

month,  while  the  provisions  became  shorter 
and  shorter.  For  three  weeks  canned  corned 
beef  was  the  one  article  in  the  menu.  From 
Mauritius  a  steamer  took  the  actors  to  Cape 
Town.  They  played  there,  and  at  Natal, 
Port  Elizabeth,  and  East  London,  then  took 
bullock-wagons  for  Kimberley.  They  were 
a  month  in  going,  and  found  the  experience 
thoroughly  enjoyable. 

Fourteen  weeks  were  spent  in  Kimberley, 
and  then  the  bullock- wagons  were  taken  on 
the  return  journey  to  Cape  Town.  At  Cape 
Town  smallpox  was  epidemic,  and  the  author- 
ities, with  characteristic  generosity,  permitted 
ever)'  one  that  wished  to  go  to  any  foreign 
port  to  do  so,  but  forbade  all  intercourse 
with  ports  in  South  Africa.  De  Angel  is 
returned  to  Mauritius  with  the  company, 
leaving  his  wife  and  son  to  follow  by  a  dif- 
ferent route.  The  steamer  on  which  Mrs. 
De  Angelis  was  a  passenger  was  wrecked  in 
the    harbour  of    Mauritius,  though    no  lives 


Jefferson  De  Angelis.  251 

were  lost.  The  result  was  that  the  entire 
company  was  detained  in  Mauritius  for  three 
months,  until  the  arrival  of  another  steamer. 
Finally  Bombay  was  reached  on  the  journey 
homeward.  There  the  company  was  backed 
by  a  wealthy  Parsee,  who  leased  theatres  in 
both  Bombay  and  Calcutta.  The  Emily 
Melville  Opera  Company  and  Louise  Pom- 
eroy  were  also  billed  at  his  houses.  Six 
months  were  thus  passed  in  India.  Next 
came  China  and  Japan,  the  organisation,  after 
having  been  together  for  about  four  years, 
being  finally  disbanded  in  Hongkong,  some 
of  the  players  sailing  from  there  for  San 
Francisco,  others  going  to  Australia  and 
England. 

Directly  after  his  arrival  in  the  United 
States,  Mr.  De  Angelis  played  short  engage- 
ments with  several  companies  until  he  joined 
the  McCauU  Opera  Company  in  1886.  With 
this  he  remained  for  three  years.  His  first 
part  was  Sir  Despard  in  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's 


252  Celebrated  Comedians. 

"Ruddygore."       Others    of    his    r61es   were 

the  Jew  in  "The  Bellman,"  the  prophet  in 

"The  Lady  or  the  Tiger,"  and  the  Italian  in 

"Clover."      He  was  also  successful   in   the 

other    operas    of    the    McCaull     repertoire, 

"Falka,"     "The    Beggar    Student,"     "The 

Begum,"  "Princess  Ida,"  and  "The  Mikado." 

In    1890    De    Angelis   became   the    leading 

comedian  at  the   New  York   Casino,  where 

he  remained  for  another  three   years.     He 

opened  at  the  Casino   in  "Poor  Jonathan," 

which   ran  for  230  nights.     After,  in  these 

six   years,  firmly   establishing    himself    as   a 

comedian  in  opera,   De  Angehs  made  what 

his   friends   at    first    declared  was  a  foolish 

move.     He  engaged  with  T.   Henry  French 

to  act  Lord  Banbury,  a  light  comedy  part  in 

"The  Prodigal  Daughter,"  and  he  did  what 

no  one  had  dared  predict  —  made  a  success 

of  it. 

Next,  De  Angelis  was  seen  in  "  The  Pass- 
ing Show  "  at  the  Casino.     For  the  two  sea- 


Jefferson  Dc  Angel  is.  253 

sons  following  the  fall  of  1894  he  was  with 
Delia  Fox  in  "The  Little  Trooper"  and 
"  Fleur-de-lis,"  sandwiching  between  these 
two  operas  a  summer  engagement  in  New 
York  with  Lillian  Russell  in  "Tzigane." 
Regarding  Mr.  De  Angelis's  work  in  "  Fleur- 
de-lis,"  Philip  Hale  wrote: 

*'  Mr.  De  Angelis  was  very  funny.  It  has 
been  said  of  him  — but  most  unjustly  —  that 
his  art  consists  in  versatility  in  falling  from 
a  height  or  in  stumbling  over  a  chair.  It  is 
true  that  he  is  acrobatic,  and  does  fall  and 
tumble.  If  a  fall  is  cleverly  managed,  it 
provokes  laughter  ;  it  always  has  and  prob- 
ably it  always  will.  Indeed,  the  only  fall  in 
the  history  of  the  world  that  did  not  excite 
merriment  was  the  celebrated  fall  of  Adam. 
Even  then  some  of  the  animals  may  have 
laughed.  Surely  the  serpent  snickered. 
But  Mr.  De  Angelis  is  much  more  than  an 
acrobatic  comedian.  He  is  a  character  actor 
of  genuine  humour  and  uncommon  skill.     He 


2  54  Celebrated  Comedians. 

seldom  repeats  himself.  His  rakes,  his  old 
noblemen,  his  eccentrics,  all  differ  in  the 
expression  of  their  amorous  follies,  or  whims 
and  caprices.  When  he  enters,  you  know 
at  once  the  character  he  is  to  assume,  his 
actions,  and  his  sentiments,  from  the  facial 
expression,  the  walk,  the  gesture,  the  very 
make-up.  And  in  his  conception  and  execu- 
tion he  is  always  consistent.  In  little  ways, 
even  in  his  quietness,  he  carries  the  part  and 
embellishes  it.  I  know  of  no  comedian  in 
comic  opera  to-day  who  is  so  legitimately 
amusing,  intellectually  and  physically,  as  Mr. 
Jefferson  De  Angelis." 

After  a  failure  as  a  star,  in  "  The  Caliph," 
and  an  engagement  with  "  Brian  Boru,"  Mr. 
De  Angelis,  during  the  season  of  1897-98, 
appeared  with  Lillian  Russell  and  Delia  Fox 
in  "The  Wedding  Day."  It  would  be  un- 
gracious, perhaps,  to  say  that  he  was  the 
whole  show,  but  certainly  there  would  have 
been  a  big  barren  space  without  him.     On 


Jefferson  Dc  Angclis.  255 

him  the  composer  and  Hbrettist  lavished  their 
choicest  bits.  There  were  the  songs  of 
"The  Mermaid  and  the  Whale,"  and  "The 
Dream  of  Fair  Women  "  with  its  chorus  of 
"The  Dance  of  All  Nations."  It  was  first, 
last,  and  all  the  time  the  comedian,  and  every- 
thing seemed  to  fall  to  pieces  the  instant  he 
left  the  stage.  The  following  season  Mr.  De 
Angelis  at  last  made  a  successful  production 
on  his  own  account,  "  The  Jolly  Musketeer  " 
by  Stanislaus  Stange  and  Julian  Edwards, 
in  which  he  continued  to  appear  during  the 
season  of  1899- 1900. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

PETER    F.    DAILEY. 

Peter  F.  Dailey  is  a  great  actor  in  the 
extremely  popular  character  of  Peter  F. 
Dailey,  a  part  that  he  has  played  success- 
fully, under  various  guises  and  amid  diverse 
environments,  for  many  seasons.  It  is  not  a 
highly  complex  role  at  that ;  it  does  not  sink 
very  deep  into  the  bed-rock  of  human  na- 
ture :  it  would  be  ridiculous  in  the  extreme 
to  think  of  it  as  even  pricking  the  emotions 
or  stirring  ever  so  remotely  the  sentiments ; 
its  appeal  to  the  intelligence,  moreover,  is 
entirely  superficial,  for  the  reason  that  its 
humour  is  both  colloquial  and  conventional. 
Yet  it  is  an  immensely  entertaining  per- 
sonation, for  its  spontaneity  is  perfect,  its 
?56 


PKTi:i<     F.    DAILEV. 


Peter  F.   Dai  ley.  257 

freshness,  ease,  and  good-fellowship  most 
satisfying,  and  its  humanity,  in  its  limited 
field  of  up-to-date  Broadway,  realistic  and 
suggestively  true  to  life. 

Mr.  Dailey  is  unquestionably  more  success- 
ful in  playing  himself  than  he  would  be  in 
playing  any  one  else,  and  in  that  respect  he 
affords  a  decided  contrast  to  many  actors, 
who  absolutely  refuse  to  be  themselves  under 
any  circumstances  whatsoever.  Dailey  was 
bom  with  the  jester's  temperament.  Proba- 
bly his  stock  of  original  humour  is  small,  for 
his  wit  seems  to  be  imitative  rather  than 
creative,  and  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  its 
nimbleness,  timeliness,  and  adaptability.  It 
is  to  be  classed  with  the  humour  of  the 
comic  weekly ;  it  cultivates  no  new  fields, 
but  works  along  accepted  lines  and  with 
recognised  forms  and  types.  It  -  is  without 
the  bitter  cynicism  of  the  satirist,  or  the 
sparkle  and  glitter  of  the  epigrammatist. 
Dailey's  wit  has  no   permanency,  and   it   is 


258  Celebrated  Comedians. 

often  nonsensical  and  meaningless  examined 
critically  and  apart  from  the  conditions  that 
gave  it  birth.  It  is  literally  a  flash  in  the 
pan  that  catches  one  unawares,  forcing  laugh- 
ter without  thought  and  leaving  one  as  sud- 
denly, in  a  condition  of  mental  bewilderment 
as  regards  the  exact  cause  for  the  disturbance. 
Dailey  has  never  yet  found  it  expedient  to 
learn  the  lines  and  business  written  for  him 
by  the  person  assuming  the  responsibility  for 
entertainments  in  which  he  has  appeared.  So 
thoroughly  fixed  is  Dailey's  habit  of  introduc- 
ing impromptu  speeches,  oddly  illustrative 
bits  of  pantomime,  and  all  sorts  of  curious 
conceits  of  his  own  devising,  that  his  audi- 
ences have  come  to  regard  him  more  in  the 
light  of  a  personal  entertainer  than  as  an 
actor  playing  a  part.  Particularly  strong  has 
this  impression  become  during  Mr.  Dailey's 
long  connection  with  Weber  and  Fields,  by 
whom  he  was  allowed  the  utmost  liberty  in 
his  r61e  of  jester-extraordinary. 


Piter  F.  D alley.  259 

Consistent  with  his  method  of  acting  no 
one  except  himself,  Dailey  never  makes  any 
serious  change  in  his  personal  appearance  on 
the  stage.  He  does,  to  be  sure,  wear  many 
suits  of  clothes,  marvellous  in  their  colour 
schemes  and  piercing  slightly  into  the  future  in 
their  cut ;  but  his  face  changes  not  one  whit. 
It  is  the  same  face,  beautified  a  bit  by  delicate 
rouging  and  powdering  for  the  lime-light 
glare,  that  Dailey  habitually  carries  with 
him  on  the  street.  It  is  a  face,  round,  rosy, 
and  jovial,  the  proper  companion  of  a  figure 
portly  but  compact  and  well  poised.  Mr. 
Dailey  is  indeed  a  handsome  fellow,  in  a 
most  exasperatingly  healthy  way.  He  sug- 
gests prosperity,  contentment,  and  all  manner 
of  worldly  blessings. 

Peter  Dailey 's  stage  career  began  in  1876, 
and  his  d6but  was  made  in  New  York  at 
the  Globe  Theatre,  Broadway.  It  was  in 
an  unclassified  mixture  of  song,  dance,  and 
farce,  appropriately  named  "  Nondescripts." 


26o  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Dailey's  chief  hit  was  made  in  the  barn 
door  reel,  a  famous  dance  of  that  period. 
The  following  year  he  travelled  with  Whit- 
ney's circus  as  clown  and  jumper.  In  the 
fall  of  1877  the  American  Four,  consisting  of 
Pettengil,  Gale,  Dailey,  and  Hoey,  was  organ- 
ised, and  continued  to  be  a  prominent  variety 
theatre  attraction  until  1885.  The  quartette 
played  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  United 
States,  and  made,  individually  and  collectively, 
probably  the  greatest  success  ever  achieved 
by  a  variety  combination. 

After  this  organisation  disbanded,  Dailey 
joined  the  Boston  Howard  Athenaeum  Com- 
pany, where  he  remained  for  three  years. 
Then  he  quit  the  varieties  for  good,  first  ap- 
pearing with  Kate  Castleton  as  leading  come- 
dian. In  1889  he  played  Le  Blanc  in  "  Evan- 
geline," and  was  credited  with  rejuvenating 
the  old  part.  After  that  he  shared  with 
James  T.  Powers  the  honours  of  "  A  Straight 
Tip,"  winning  out  by  means  of  his  bright, 


Peter  F.   Dailcy.  261 

magnetic,  and  original  temperament,  his 
spontaneous  humour,  and  his  easy,  natural 
methods.  For  several  seasons  he  appeared 
with  May  Irwin  in  "A  Country  Sport"  and 
"The  Widow  Jones,"  Then  he  starred  in 
"The  Night  Clerk,"  after  which  he  became 
one  of  the  chief  attractions  of  the  Weber  and 
Fields  company. 

Mr.  Dailey  again  started  forth  as  a  star  in 
the  fall  of  1900.  He  appeared  in  a  musical 
comedy  called  "  Hodge,  Podge  &  Co.,"  which 
was  founded  on  the  German  farce,  "  Im  Him- 
melhof."  The  vehicle  itself  was  of  very 
ordinary  quality,  and  its  popular  success  was 
due  entirely  to  the  virtuosity  as  entertainers 
of  Mr.  Dailey  and  pretty  Christie  MacDonald, 
who  fairly  shared  the  honours  with  the  star. 
One  was  so  consistently  and  continuously 
astonished  by  the  joyous  irresponsibility  of 
Mr.  Dailey,  and  so  completely  hypnotised  by 
the  appealing  charm  of  the  resourceful  and 
versatile  Miss  MacDonald,  that  he  scarcely 


262  Celebrated  Comedians. 

had  time  to  be  bored  by  a  stupid  play  or 
even  shocked  by  inexcusable  coarseness  and 
vulgarity. 

George  V.  Hobart,  who  assumed  the  re- 
sponsibility of  adapting  the  German  farce, 
had  scarcely  advanced  a  full  measure  with 
the  English  version  before  he  became  wofully 
entangled  in  the  plot.  By  the  time  the  first 
act  was  half  over,  he  had  every  member  of 
the  company  —  except  Mr.  Dailey  and  Miss 
MacDonald,  who  refused  absolutely  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  story  of  the  play  — 
busily  engaged  in  trying  to  untie  impossible 
knots.  Although  Dailey  would  conscientiously 
bat  the  unfortunate  plot  over  the  head  every 
time  it  tried  to  peek  over  the  footlights  while 
he  was  on  the  stage,  still  it  managed,  when 
the  star  was  in  his  dressing-room  changing 
his  clothes,  to  get  in  the  way  more  times 
than  were  convenient.  The  plot  consider- 
ately rested  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
second    act,    but     it    had    recuperated    by 


Peter  F.  Dailey.  263 

the  time  the  third  act  was  reached,  and 
it  took  the  combined  efforts  of  the  entire 
company  finally  to  strangle  it  into  sub- 
mission. 

Mr.  Hobart  apparently  was  not  experi- 
enced in  the  serving  of  musical  comedy. 
He  was  in  the  explanatory  stage  of  his 
development.  Of  course,  we  who  are  not 
dramatists  know  that  nothing  about  a  musi- 
cal comedy  needs  explaining.  When  Mrs. 
Hodge's  daughter  by  her  first  husband  came 
into  the  scene,  for  example,  we  were  not  in 
the  least  interested  in  learning  that  she  had 
run  away  from  her  boarding-school  on  the 
Hudson.  We  saw  for  ourselves  that  she  was 
a  pretty  girl,  and  it  suflficed.  Naturally,  too, 
one  expects  songs  in  a  musical  comedy,  and 
does  not  mind  when  and  where  they  are  fired 
in.  Consequently  we  regarded  —  and  rightly, 
too  —  Mr.  Hobart's  laborious  attempts  to 
introduce  his  musical  numbers  gracefully  as 
so  much  time  and  effort  wasted. 


264  Celebrated  Comedians. 

Peter  Dailey  worked  hard  for  success,  and 
personally  he  obtained  it.  He  maintained 
fully  his  reputation  as  the  ace  of  trumps  in 
the  game  of  "jollying,"  and  he  manoeuvred 
his  audience  into  a  state  of  mind  in  which  it 
was  capable  —  as  did  Hoyt's  farce,  "A  Milk 
White  Flag  "  —  of  regarding  a  military  fu- 
neral as  a  joke.  There  is  no  accounting  for 
that  sort  of  thing.  Daily  does  it  because  he 
cannot  help  it.    The  faculty  was  born  in  him. 


CYKIL    SCOTT 
in  "  A   Runaway  Girl." 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

LIGHT    COMEDY    IN     OPERA    AND    ITS 
EXPONENTS. 

The  light  comedy  field  in  opera,  like  the 
light  comedy  field  in  drama,  is  far  from  being 
overcrowded.  Indeed,  an  alarmist  might  have 
reason  for  declaring  that  light  comedy  acting 
was  in  danger  of  becoming  extinct.  Charles 
Wyndham  still  upholds  the  traditions  in  Eng- 
land. Nat  Goodwin  is,  perhaps,  the  best  we 
have  on  this  side,  though  Fritz  Williams, 
whose  talents,  to  be  sure,  for  a  season  or 
two,  have  been  dissipated  in  inconsequential 
farces,  is  fully  as  polished  and  almost  as 
resourceful  as  Goodwin.  Ranking  but  little 
beneath  these  two,  and  certainly  with  no 
superior  in  the  musical  field,  is  Cyril  Scott, 
265 


266  Celebrated  Comedians. 

whose  diversified  work  in  the  musical  comedy 
productions  of  the  late  Augustin  Daly  brought 
him  into  widespread  prominence.  In  the  series 
of  musical  comedies  recently  presented  at  the 
New  York  Casino,  Harry  Davenport  has  also 
shown  unusual  skill  in  wrestling  with  the  tor- 
ments and  perplexities  of  juvenile  comedy 
roles. 

Light  comedy  acting  demands  a  peculiar 
talent  for  reproducing  the  spontaneity  of 
nature,  which  it  is  impossible  for  a  player, 
however  versatile  and  accomplished  in  other 
walks  of  dramatic  art,  either  to  develop  arti- 
ficially or  to  acquire  by  experience.  The 
knack  must  be  born  in  the  actor.  It  is 
very  easy  to  underestimate  the  ability  of 
the  artistic  light  comedian.  So  closely  is  he 
playing  to  nature  that  he  is,  to  a  degree,  a  vic- 
tim of  his  own  art.  When  he  is  doing  his 
best  work,  it  is  inevitable  that  he  attracts  the 
least  attention.  Then  it  is  that  one  forgets 
completely  that    he  is    acting.     Thoroughly 


Light  Comedy  in  Opera.  267 

identified  as  the  light  comedian  is  with  the 
character  which  he  is  portraying,  the  spectator 
forgets  entirely  that  it  is  not  the  actor  himself 
whom  he  sees  on  the  stage.  Such  complete 
identification  is  the  greatest  of  artistic  tri- 
umphs, but  it  is  unfortunately  a  triumph  unap- 
preciated save  by  the  experienced  observer. 
The  neophyte,  not  seeing  the  external  evi- 
dence of  artificiality,  passes  the  impersona- 
tion by  with  scarcely  a  thought. 

The  manner  of  light  comedy  acting  is  ex- 
ceedingly fine  and  elusive  ;  it  must  be  so,  for 
in  no  other  variety  of  characterisation  does 
the  actor  come  so  directly  in  comparison  with 
life  as  the  average  man  knows  it.  The  actor 
is,  in  truth,  playing  e very-day  life,  and  his  sin- 
cerity must  be  well-nigh  perfect,  his  methods 
thoroughly  realistic,  and  his  dramatic  instinct 
true  and  unerring,  successfully  to  stand  the 
test.  Finish,  delicacy,  repose,  and  refinement, 
without  effeminacy,  are  the  cardinal  points  in 
the  art  of  the  light  comedian,  and  to  these 


268  Cclebi'ated  Comedians. 

must  be  joined  vivacity  and  merriment,  a 
touch  of  sentiment,  and  an  inherent  chivalry, 
for  the  Hght  comedian,  however  prankish  his 
disposition  and  however  sportive  his  tempera- 
ment, must  be  at  heart  a  man. 

Of  course,  in  opera  or  in  musical  comedy 
a  certain  allowance  is  of  necessity  made  for 
artificiality,  or  else  the  whole  dramatic  scheme 
would  be  impossible.  Yet,  even  with  this  al- 
lowance in  his  favour,  the  juvenile  comedian 
in  opera  finds  himself  confronted  by  practi- 
cally the  same  difficulties  that  beset  the  light 
comedian  in  drama.  He,  too,  rnust  closely- 
approximate  nature.  When  inspiration  fails, 
he  cannot,  after  the  habit  of  the  "  dog-faced  " 
comedian,  fall  back  on  ancient  jokes  and 
weird  and  astounding  physical  contortions ; 
he  must  play  his  part  "straight,"  and  still  he 
must  be  infinite  in  resource.  Moreover,  he 
must  be  pleasant  to  look  upon  and  attractive 
in  personality,  moderately  gifted  in  song,  agile 
and  graceful  in  the  dance,  with  a  satisfactory 


Light  Comedy  in   Opera.  269 

sense  of  humour,  and  the  happy  faculty  of 
getting  the  point  of  a  quib  unhesitatingly  to 
the  audience. 

Cyril  Scott,  who  may  stand  as  the  repre- 
sentative light  comedian  in  opera  in  this 
country,  was  born  at  Banbridge,  County 
Down,  Ireland,  on  Feb.  9,  1866,  but  has 
lived  in  the  United  States  since  early  child- 
hood. His  first  appearance  on  the  stage  was 
made  in  August,  1883,  at  the  Opera  House 
in  Paterson,  N.  J.,  when  he  acted  in  a  play 
called  "The  Girl  I  Love,  or  the  Diamond 
Mystery." 

"  How  did  I  come  to  take  up  the  stage } " 
said  Mr.  Scott,  repeating  a  query.  "  The 
father  of  one  of  my  schoolmates  was  a  dra- 
matic critic  on  a  New  York  paper.  He  saw 
me  in  a  minstrel  exhibition  and  suggested 
that  I  go  on  the  stage  professionally.  I 
was  ready  enough,  but  my  father  would  not 
hear  of  it.  At  last,  however,  he  consented 
to  let  me   try   for  a   stipulated  time,  and   I 


270  Celebrated  Comedians. 

set  about  finding  my  first  engagement.  The 
only  thing  I  could  get  was  the  opportunity 
to  play  two  parts,  —  one  of  them  a  negro,  — 
with  a  one  night  stand  company,  at  three 
dollars  a  week  and  my  board.  I  remember 
how  the  manager  used  to  come  back  every 
night,  and  say,  '  Scott,  you  make  the  worst 
nigger  I  ever  saw.'  And  as  invariably  1 
used  to  shake  him  by  the  hand,  and  answer, 
'  Thank  you,  sir,'  for  I  despised  the  part,  and 
actually  felt  complimented  to  know  that  I  did 
not  do  it  well. 

"When  we  got  as  far  as  Chicago  the 
backer  went  broke,  and  we  were  stranded. 
My  father  sent  money  to  bring  me  home, 
and  then  I  got  another  engagement  with 
Minnie  Maddern  in  *  Caprice '  at  fifteen  dol- 
lars a  week.  The  part  was  such  an  insignifi- 
cant one  that  when  a  shift  in  managers  was 
made,  and  the  play  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  Frohman  brothers,  —  Charles,  Daniel,  and 
Gustave,  —  and    the    other  members    of  the 


Light  Comedy  in  Opera,  27 1 

company  were  told  that  they  could  go,  I  was 
overlooked  because  the  new  proprietors  did 
not  know  my  name.  The  fresh  cast  was  called 
to  a  rehearsal  at  the  Grand  Opera  House  be- 
fore being  sent  out  to  Indianapolis,  and  I  went 
with  the  rest.  There  were  the  three  managers 
sitting  down  in  front  to  pass  judgment  on  us, 
and  I  was,  shaking  in  my  shoes.  After  the 
thing  was  over  Daniel  Frohman  sent  for  me. 

"  '  What  is  your  name  .'' '  he  asked. 

"  I  told  him,  whereupon  he  announced  that 
I  was  to  be  retained  with  the  company  at 
thirty  dollars  a  week ;  and  all  has  been  plain 
sailing  for  me  from  that  day  on." 

Mr.  Scott  was  with  Minnie  Maddern  dur- 
ing the  seasons  of  1884,  1885,  and  1886, 
playing  in  "  In  Spite  of  All,"  as  well  as  in 
"Caprice."  He  joined  Richard  Mansfield 
for  the  season  of  1886-87,  appearing  in 
"  Prince  Karl,"  and  other  plays.  His  next 
engagement  was  with  Lotta  in  "  Pawn  Ticket 
210"  and  "The  Little  Detective,"  and  dur- 


2/2  Celebrated  Comedians. 

ing  the  season  of  1888-89  he  supported 
Edward  H.  Sothern  in  "  Lord  Chumley," 
"The  Highest  Bidder,"  and  later  in  "The 
Maister  of  Woodbarrow."  He  joined  the 
Lyceum  Theatre  Company,  and  toured  in 
"Sweet  Lavender"  during  the  season  of 
1889-90,  and  the  following  season  he  was 
a  member  of  the  stock  company  at  the 
Lyceum,  playing  in  "  Old  Heads  and  Young 
Hearts "  and  other  productions.  Next  he 
joined  Charles  Frohman's  stock  company, 
and  acted  in  "  Men  and  Women,"  "The  Lost 
Paradise,"  "The  Councillor's  Wife,"  "The 
Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me,"  "The  Younger 
Son,"  "Sowing  the  Wind,"  "The  Luck  of 
Roaring  Camp,"  and  "  The  Gudgeons."  He 
spent  a  year  with  DeWolf  Hopper  in  "  Dr. 
Syntax,"  a  season  with  Mrs,  Leslie  Carter 
in  "The  Heart  of  Maryland,"  and  a  season 
with  "Lost,  Strayed,  or  Stolen,"  and  "My 
Friend  from  India."  With  Augustin  Daly's 
company  he  appeared  in  "The  Circus  Girl," 


Light   Comedy  in  Opera.  273 

"The  Geisha,"  and  "A  Runaway  Girl." 
His  latest  engagements  have  been  with  Anna 
Held  in  "  Papa's  Wife,"  and  in  "  The  Lady 
Slavey  "  and  "The  Casino  Girl." 

The  second  light  comedian  who  promises 
to  develop  into  an  artist  of  unusual  attain- 
ments, Harry  Davenport,  has  by  inheritance 
a  thoroughly  reliable  sense  of  the  dramatic- 
ally appropriate,  and  this  sense  he  has  fur- 
ther strengthened  by  a  fairly  well  rounded 
experience.  He  invests  all  his  juveniles  with 
charm  of  personality,  which  is  never  dis- 
turbed by  any  lack  of  ease  or  any  notion  of 
self-consciousness.  He  is  facile  in  expres- 
sion, mentally  alert,  and  his  work  is  witness 
of  that  incisiveness  and  finish  so  necessary 
in  any  form  of  light  comedy. 

Harry  Davenport  comes  of  a  family  illus- 
trious in  the  annals  of  the  stage  in  this  coun- 
try. E.  L.  Davenport  was  considered  by 
many  of  the  theatre-goers  of  his  time  the 
best  Shakcsperean  actor  then  on  the  Ameri- 


274  Celebrated  Comedians. 

can  stage.  Especially  is  his  name  connected 
with  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  "  The  Lion  of 
St.  Marks,"  William  in  "Black-eyed  Susan," 
"Richard  III.,"  "Hamlet,"  and  Bill  Sykes  in 
"  Oliver  Twist,"  the  latter  character  being 
played  with  a  star  combination,  which  included 
besides  Davenport,  J.  W.  Wallack  as  Fagin, 
and  Lucille  Western  as  Nancy.  Mrs.  Daven- 
port's maiden  name  was  Fanny  Vining,  and 
she  was  a  dancer  on  the  English  stage  as  a 
child.  There  is  still,  I  believe,  in  the  Daven- 
port family,  a  set  of  gold  cuff  buttons  pre- 
sented to  Mrs.  Davenport  by  Queen  Victoria 
in  appreciation  of  her  dancing.  Mrs.  Dav- 
enport died  in  1892  at  the  Davenport  home- 
stead, in  Canton,  Pennsylvania,  where  E.  L. 
Davenport  passed  away. 

There  were  nine  children  in  the  Davenport 
family,  and  nearly  every  one  of  them  has 
been  at  some  time  or  other  on  the  stage. 
The  most  famous  was  Fanny,  who  was  born 
in  1850  and  died  in   September,  1898.      She 


HAKRV  DAVENPORT. 


Light  Comedy  in   Opera.  275 

made  her  d6but  as  an  actress,  when  she  was 
only  nine  years  old,  as  King  Charles  in 
t*'  Faint  Heart  Ne'er  Won  Fair  Lady."  For 
many  years  previous  to  her  death  she  was 
a  prominent  dramatic  star,  impersonating 
successfully  in  this  country  the  strenuous 
heroines  of  the  Sardou  plays  which  were 
written  for  Sarah  Bernhardt. 

Three  others  of  the  Davenport  children 
are  dead,  —  Lillie,  Adele,  and  Eddie.  Those 
living  are  Blanche,  May,  Florence,  Edgar, 
and  Harry.  Blanche,  known  professionally  as 
Bianca  la  Blanche,  was  an  opera  singer,  and 
a  great  favourite  in  Naples,  Italy,  where  she 
sang  for  a  number  of  years.  She  also  toured 
this  country.  She  is  now  living  in  retire- 
ment at  the  Davenport  homestead  in  Canton. 
Florence,  also  retired  and  living  in  Phila- 
delphia, was  both  an  actress  and  a  singer. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  opera  company 
organised  by  John  T.  Ford,  of  Baltimore. 
May  is  the  wife  of  William  Seymour,  promi- 


2/6  Celebrated  Comedians, 

nent  in  the  theatrical  world  as  a  stage- 
manager.  She  was  connected  with  the  Bos- 
ton Museum  Company  before  her  marriage. 
Edgar  L.  Davenport  is  recognised  as  one  of 
the  best  leading  men  in  the  country.  He 
made  his  first  stage  appearance  as  a  child 
with  his  father  in  "  Pizarro "  and  "  Damon 
and  Pythias  "  at  the  Chestnut  Street  Thea- 
tre, Philadelphia.  These  appearances  were 
purely  incidental,  however,  and  he  was  not 
seen  behind  the  footlights  again  until  1878, 
when  he  acted  the  Surgeon  Major  at  the 
Walnut  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  in  one 
of  the  earliest  American  productions  of 
"The  Exiles."  In  that  cast  he  appeared 
under  the  assumed  name  of  H.  G.  Davis." 
He  may  be  said  to  have  received  his  training 
in  the  Boston  Museum  Stock  Company,  with 
which  he  was  connected  for  five  years.  Since 
then  he  has  appeared  in  "  The  Crust  of 
Society,"  "Cumberland,  '61,"  "  Pudd'nhead 
Wilson,"  and  "  The  Christian." 


Light  Comedy  in   Opera.  277 

Harry  was  the  youngest  of  the  Davenport 
family,  and  was  born  in  New  York.  He 
also  first  went  on  the  stage  under  his  father's 
guidance,  his  earliest  attempt  at  acting 
having  been  made  when  he  was  five  years 
old,  as  Damon's  boy  in  "  Damon  and  Pythias." 
One  of  his  experiences  shortly  afterward,  in 
"Jack  Cade,"  in  which  he  was  playing  a 
child's  part,  he  describes  as  follows  : 

"  My  father  was  one  of  those  serious-minded 
actors  of  the  old  school,  to  whom  guying  or 
any  inattention  to  business  while  upon  the 
stage  was  intolerable.  What  I  had  done  to 
displease  him  I  have  quite  forgotten,  —  some 
childish  sin  of  omission  or  commission,  I 
suppose,  —  yet  I  never  shall  forget  the  awed 
feeling  with  which  I  obeyed  the  command  of 
the  stage-manager  to  report  directly  at  my 
father's  dressing-room.  He  bade  me  be 
seated  with  as  grave  courtesy  as  though  I 
were  one  of  the  grown-up  actors  in  his  com- 
pany.    Then,  as  he  proceeded  to  make  his 


278  Celebrated  Comedians, 

change  for  the  next  act,  he  spoke,  without 
anger,  but  with  a  seriousness  of  word  and 
gesture  that  impressed  themselves  indehbly 
on  my  memory.  '  Sir,'  said  he,  '  the  part 
which  you  are  playing  is  a  small  one,  never- 
theless I  exact  from  the  members  of  my 
company  strict  attention  to  business.  Unless 
you  can  attend  more  readily,  you  must  be  re- 
placed by  some  one  else.'  Never  had  the 
dignity  of  my  calling  occurred  to  me  before, 
•^nd  when  my  father  had  finished  his  kindly 
lecture  upon  what  the  future  might  hold  for 
me  if  I  were  sufficiently  earnest,  I  promised, 
like  the  good  little  boy  in  the  story-book, 
•never  to  do  so  any  more.'" 

As  a  lad  Harry  belonged  to  Ford's  Juve- 
nile Pinafore  Company,  which  appeared  at  the 
Broad  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  every 
afternoon,  while  the  same  opera  was  being 
given  at  night  by  the  regular  company,  in 
which,  by  the  way,  his  sister  Florence  was 
singing  Josephine    to    the    Hebe    of    Belle 


Light   Comedy  in   Opera.  279 

Archer,  and  the  Sir  Joseph  Porter  of  George 
Denham.  Harry  afterward  joined  the  stock 
company  at  the  Girard  Avenue  Theatre, 
Philadelphia,  and  even  managed  the  theatre 
during  one  unsuccessful   season. 

He  is  best  known,  however,  through  his 
connection  with  the  George  W.  Lederer 
musical  comedies  at  the  New  York  Casino. 
In  "  The  Belle  of  New  York  "  he  first  played 
the  youthful  Harry  Bronson.  In  London  he 
showed  his  versatility  by  taking  the  charac- 
ter of  the  elder  Bronson,  created  by  Dan 
Daly,  in  which  he  made  a  decided  success. 
During  the  season  of  1899- 1900,  Mr.  Daven- 
port was  the  gay  French  nobleman  in  "  The 
Rounders,"  who  fell  in  love  with  his  own 
wife.  In  the  spring  he  also  appeared  in 
a  revival  of  "  The  Lady  Slavey "  at  the 
Columbia  Theatre  in  Boston,  and  later  he 
was  in  the  cast  of  "The  Burgomaster,"  in 
Chicago. 

THE  END. 


INDEX. 


Adolphi,  Gustavus,  95. 

"  Adonis,"  Dixey,  Henry  E., 

190,    198,    199,   200,   201, 

202,  203. 
"  Adventures  of   Fran9ois," 

Dixey,  Henry  E.,  190. 
"  After    Dark,"    Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  127. 
"Africa,"  Harlan,  Otis,  214. 
Alcazar     Opera     Company, 

161,  162,  163,  164,  165. 
"All  That   Glitters  Is  Not 

Gold,"   Barnabee,   H.   C, 

183. 
"  Ameer,"    Daniels,    Frank, 

153- 
"  American  Beauty," 

Carle,  Richard,  217. 

Sykes,  Jerome,  167. 
American  Four,  260. 
"  Amorita,"  Wilson,  Francis, 

32- 

Anderson,  Mary,  136. 

"  Apajune,"  Wilson,  Francis, 

32- 
"  Aphrodite,"  Sea  b  r  o  o  k  e , 
Thomas  Q.,  127. 


Archer,  Belle,  278,  279. 
Aronson,  Rudolph,  32. 
"  Around     the     World     in 

Eighty      Days,"      Jones, 

Walter,  54. 
Atkinson,  Charles,  148. 
"  Attorney,"  Daniels,  Frank, 

153- 
"Aunt    Bridget's    Baby," 

Jones,  Walter,  55. 
Austin,  Mrs.  Joseph,  96. 

"  Babes   in  the  Woods," 
Dixey,  Henry  E.,  196. 

Backus,  Charles,  35,  241. 

Baker,     George     M.,     185, 
186. 

"  Barbara  Fidgety,"   Weber 
and  Fields,  105. 

Barnabee,  H.  C,  166,  176. 

Barnabee,  Willis,  178,  179. 

Barnet,  R.  A.,  136. 

Baxter,  Sylvester,  187. 

Beaudet,  Rose,  95. 

Beers,  Newton,  159. 

"  Beggar  Student," 

Daniels,  Frank,  150. 


281 


282 


hidex. 


DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 

252. 
Hopper,    DeWolf,    64, 
80,  81,  83. 
"  Begum," 

DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 

252. 
Hopper,  DeWolf,  80. 
Bell,  Digby,  224. 
Bell,  Laura  Joyce,  234,  235. 
"  Belle  of  New  York," 

Daly,    Dan,     170,     171, 

172,  175. 
Davenport,  Harry,  279. 
"  Bellman,"  DeAngelis,  Jef- 
ferson, 252. 
Hopper,  DeWolf,  80. 
Bergen,  Nella,  90. 
Bernard,  Dick,  115. 
Bernard,  Sam,  1 14. 
Betsy  B.    (see   Mrs.  Joseph 

Austin). 
"  Billee    Taylor,"    D 1  x  e  y  , 

Henry  E.,  196. 
"  Blackbird,"    Hopper,    De- 
Wolf,  74. 
"  Black    Hussar,"    Hopper, 

DeWolf,  80,  85,  86. 
"  Black  Sheep,"  Harlan, Otis, 

209,  210,  215,  216. 
"  Boccaccio,"     Hopper,    De- 
Wolf,  80. 
Boston  Ideals,  187. 
Bostonians,  166,  167,  187. 
Bowser,  Charles  W.,  128. 
"  Box  and  Cox,"  Barnabee, 

H.  C,  183. 
"  Boys   and  Girls,"  Harlan, 

Otis,  214. 
Bradshaw,  Charles,  28. 
"  Brass     Monkey,"     Harlan, 


Otis,  212,  214. 

"  Brian  Bom,"  DeAngelis, 
Jefferson,  254. 

Brown,  Allen  A.,  184. 

"  Bunch  of  Keys,"  Powers, 
James  T.,  50. 

"  Burgomaster,"  Davenport, 
Harry,  279. 

Burnett,  Mrs.  Frances  Hodg- 
son, 235. 

Byrne,  Charles  Alfred,  132. 

"  Cadet    Girl,"    Daly,    Dan, 

175- 

"  Caliph,"  DeAngelis,  Jeffer- 
son, 254. 

Canby,  A.  H.,  28. 

"  Caprice,"  Scott,  Cyril,  270, 
271. 

"  Captain  Fracasse,"  Hop- 
per, DeWolf,  80. 

Carle,  Richard,  217. 

Carleton    Opera    Company, 

95- 
Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company, 

184. 
Carney,  James,  50. 
Carter,  Mrs.  Leslie,  33,  34, 

272. 
Cary,  Annie  Louise,  75,  182. 
Casino,  New  York,   18,    20, 
32,  39.  SI'  175.  252,  266, 
279. 
"  Casino  Girl," 

Carle,  Richard,  217,  218. 
Scott,  Cyril,  273. 
"  Caste," 

DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 

244. 
Hopper,  DeWolf,  68. 
Wilson,  Francis,  30. 


Index. 


283 


"Castles  in  the  Air," 

Hopper,  DeWolf,  87. 
Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 
132. 
Castleton,  Kate,  129,  260. 
Cay  van,  Georgia,  7  5. 
"  Celebrated     Case,"      Sea- 
brooke, Thomas  Q.,  127. 
Chadwick,  George  W.,  136. 
"  Charity  Begins  at  Home," 

Bell,  Digby,  233. 
"  Charleton,"    Hopper,   De- 
Wolf,  88. 
"  Chieftain,"   Wilson,  Fran- 
cis, 40. 
«'  Children   of   the  Ghetto," 
Carle,  Richard,  221,  222, 
223. 
"  Chilperic,"  Powers,  James 

T.,  51. 
"  Chimes  of  Normandy," 
Daniels,  Frank,  147. 
Golden,  Richard,  98. 
"  Chris  and  the   Wonderful 
Lamp,"    Sykes,     Jerome, 
157,  167. 
"Cigarette,"     Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  122,  123. 
"  Cinderella    at    S  c  h  o  ol ," 

Dixey,  Henry  E.,  196. 
"  Circus  Girl," 

Powers,  James  T.,  53. 
Scott,  Cyril,  272. 
"  City  Directory,"  Daly,  Dan, 

174. 
Clayton,  Estelle,  127. 
"  Clover," 

DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 

252. 
Hopper,  De\Volf,  80. 
Coleman,  Helen,  124. 


Colville,  Samuel,  127. 

"  Confusion,"  Dixey,  Henry 
E.,  197. 

"  Conscience,"  Hopper,  De- 
Wolf,  67. 

Coquelin,  Corxstant,  35. 

Corinne,  173. 

"  Comer  Grocery,"  Bernard, 
Sam,  1 1 5. 

"  Corsair,"  Dixey,  Henry  E., 
196. 

"  Councillor's  Wife,"  Scott, 
Cyril,  272. 

*'  Country  Sport,"  Dailey, 
Peter  F.,  261. 

"  Cox  and  Box,"  Barnabee, 
H.  C,  184. 

Crane,  William  H.,  26,  88. 

"  Crowing  Hen,"  Hopper, 
DeWolf,  80. 

Crox,  Elvia,  124. 

"  Crystal  Slipper,"  Daly, 
Dan,  173. 

"  Cyrano  de  Bergerac,"  Wil- 
son, Francis,  14,  15,  40, 
41,  42. 

Dailey,  Peter  F.,  34,  105, 
220,  256. 

Daly,  Augustin,  53,  128,  194, 
203,  205,  266,  272. 

Daly,  Dan,  58,  168,  279. 

Daly,  Robert,  169,  174. 

Daly,  Thomas  A.,  168,  169, 
174. 

Daly,  Win,  169,  174. 

"  Damon  and  Pythias,"  Dav- 
enport, Harry,  277. 

"  Dangerous  Maid,"  Carle, 
Richard,  221. 

Daniels,  Frank,  141,  212. 


284 


Index. 


"Danites,"    Seabrooke, 
Thomas  Q.,  127. 

Davenport,  Blanche,  275. 

Davenport,   E.   L.,  25,   273, 
274. 

Davenport,  Mrs.  E.  L.,  274. 

Davenport,   E.   L.,   Jr.,  275, 
276. 

Davenport,  Fanny,  274,  275. 

Davenport,    Florence,    275, 
278. 

Davenport,  Harry,  266,  273. 

Davenport,  May,  275,  276. 

Davenport,  Warren,  184. 

Davis,  Jessie  Bartlett,  95. 

Davis,  Sam,  96. 

"  Davy  Jones,"  Daly,  Dan, 
174. 

"  Day  and  a  Night,"  Harlan, 
Otis,  215. 

DeAngelis,     Jefferson,     77, 
236. 

DeAngelis,  John,  242. 

DeAngelis,  Sarah,  242,  249. 

Decker,  Nelson,  125. 

Denham,  George,  279. 

DeQuille,  Dan  (see  George 
Wright). 

"  Desviet,"      Hopper,      De- 
Wolf,  80. 

"Devil's   Deputy,"    Wilson, 
Francis,  39,  40. 

Dickson,  J.  B.,  127. 

"  Distinguished  Foreigners," 
Dixey,  Henry  E.,  197. 

Dixey,    Henry    E.,    97,    98, 
189. 

"  Dollars   and  Sense,"  Sea- 
brooke, Thomas  Q.,  128. 

*'Don  Caesar,"  Hopper,  De- 
Wolf,  80. 


"  Don   Quixote,"  Bamabee» 

H.  €.,  187. 
Dow,  Howard  M.,  182,  185. 
"  Dreams,"    Powers,    James 

T.,  50. 
"  Dr.  Syntax," 

Hopper,  DeWolf,  87. 
Scott,  Cyril,  272. 
"  Drum     Major,"      Powers, 

James  T.,  52. 
Duff,  J.  C,  233. 
"Duke's    Motto,"    Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  197. 

Edouin,  Willie,  50. 
Edwards,  Julian,  237,  255. 
Eichberg,  Julius,  184. 
"  El  Capitan,"  Hopper,  De- 
Wolf,  87,  88. 
"  Electric     Doll,"     Daniels, 

Frank,  148. 
"Enoch    Arden,"    Sykes, 

Jerome,  160. 
"  Erminie," 

Powers,  James  T.,  52. 
Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 

139,  14c. 
Wilson,  Francis,  18,  20, 

32-  33.  34.  36,  39- 
"Evangeline,"  Dailey,  Peter 
F.,  260. 
Dixey,   Henry  E.,   195, 

196. 
Golden,  Richard,  97,  98. 
Powers,  James  T.,  50. 
"Excelsior,     Jr.,"     Carle, 
Richard,  220. 

"Fakir,"  Seabrooke,  Thomas 
Q.,  132- 


Index. 


285 


"  Falka," 

DeAngelis,   Jefferson, 

252. 
Hopper,  UeWolf,  80. 
Wilson,  Francis,  32. 
"  Fatinitza," 

Barnabee,  H.  C,  187. 
Hopper,  DeWolf,  80. 
"  Favette,"    Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  127. 
"  Fencing    Master,"     Sykes, 

Jerome,  166. 
Ferguson,  William  J.,  28. 
"  Fiedermaus,"  Hopper,  De- 
Wolf,  80. 
Fields,  Lou  M.,  102. 
»'  Fille  du  Tambour  Major," 

Golden,  Richard,  95,  96. 
First      Corps      of      Cadets, 

136. 
Fiske,  Minnie  Maddern,  270, 

271. 
Fitch,  Clyde,  105. 
"  Fleur-de-lis,"      DeAngelis, 

Jefferson,  253,  254. 
"  Folback,"  Hopper,  80. 
"  Fortune   Teller,"    Golden, 

Richard,  99. 
"  49,"   Seabrooke,    Thomas 

Q.,  127. 
"  1492,"   Jones,   Walter,  57, 

58,  61. 
Fox,  Delia,  253,  254. 
French,  T.  Henry,  252. 
Frohman,  Charles,  270,  272. 
Frohman,   Daniel,   75,    270, 

271. 
Frohman,  Gustave,  270. 

Gardiner,  Ella,  89. 
Gaylord,  Julia,  184. 


"  Geisha," 

Powers,  James  T.,  53. 

Scott,  Cyril,  273. 
Gemmill,  William  D.,  28. 
"Genevieve,"  Jones,  Walter, 

60. 
Gilbert,  W.  S.,  154,  155,  251. 
Gill,  William,  126. 
Gilman,  Ada,  68. 
"  Gipsy      Baron,"      Wilson, 

Francis,  32. 
"  Girl  I  Love,"  Scott,  Cyril, 

269. 
"  Gloriana,"    Harlan,     Otis, 

215. 
Glover,  Lyman  B.,  41. 
Golden,  Richard,  91,  195. 
"  Golden    Wedding,"    Daly, 

Dan,  174. 
"  Gondoliers,"  Wilson,  Fran- 
cis, 39. 
Goodwin,  J.  Cheever,  39. 
Goodwin,    N.   C,    88,    137, 

265. 
Goshe,  Jacob,  68. 
"  Grab  Bag,"  Jones,  Walter, 

"Grand  Duchess,"  Bell, 
Digby,  233. 

"Grand  Vizier"  (see  "To- 
basco"),  Seabrooke, 
Thomas  Q.,  136. 

"  Greek  Slave,"  Carle,  Rich- 
ard, 221. 

"  Gudgeons,"  Scott,  Cyril, 
222. 

Gunter  A.  C,  128. 

Hale,  Philip,  253,  254. 
"  Haifa- King,"     Wilson, 
Francis,  40. 


2  86 


Index. 


Hall,  Pauline,  99. 
Hamblin,  John  A.,  132. 
Harlan,  Otis,  34,  208. 
Harrigan,    Edward,    26,    74, 

115,  119,  242. 
Harris,  Augustus,  51. 
Harrison,  Louis,  132. 
Hart,  Josh,  115,  242. 
Harte,  Bret,  96. 
Hatch,  Alonzo,  95. 
"Hazel    Kirke,"   Hopper, 

DeWolf,  63,  75,  84,  85. 
"  Heart  of  Maryland,"  Scott, 

Cyril,  272. 
Held,  Anna,  273. 
"  Her      Atonement,"      Sea- 

brooke,  Thomas  Q.,  127. 
Herbert,  Victor,  42. 
Heme,  James  A.,  93. 
"  Hiawatha,"   Dixey,  Henry 

E.,  196. 
"  Highest     Bidder,"     Scott, 

Cyril,  272. 
"  Highwayman,"      S  y  k  e  s , 

Jerome,  157,  158,  167. 
Hobart,  George  V.,  262,  263, 
"  Hodge,     Podge     &    Co.," 
Dailey,  Peter  F.,  261,  262, 
263,  264. 
Hoey,  George,  128. 
"  Hole     in     the     Ground," 

Harlan,  Otis,  212. 
Holland,  George,  126. 
"  Hoosier      Doctor,"      Bell, 

Digby,  235. 
Hopper,    DeWolf,     16,    63, 

132,  217,  233,  272. 
Hopper,  Edna  Wallace,  90. 
"  Horrors,"  Dixey,  Henry  E., 

196. 
Hoyt,  Charles  H.,  no,  in, 


118,    128,  129,  131,  150, 

151,    174,  208,  209,  210, 

2n,    212,  215,  218,  225, 
234,  264. 

"Idol's  Eye,"  Daniels, 
Frank,  153. 

"  In  Gay  New  York,"  Jones, 
Walter,  58,  59. 

"In  Gotham,"  Carle,  Rich- 
ard, 221. 

"  In  Spite  of  All,"  Scott, 
Cyril,  271. 

"  Indiana,"  Bell,  Digby,  233. 

"  lolanthe,"     Dixey,    Henry 

^•'  '97-    .  „     ^ 

"Irish     Aristocracy,'     Sea- 

brooke,  Thomas  Q.,  124. 
Irving,  Henry,  199,  200. 
Irwin,  May,  112,  214,  261. 
"  Isle  of  Champagne," 
Golden,  Richard, 
Harian,  Otis,  215. 
Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 
118,     121,    132,    133, 
134.  135- 

"  Jack    Cade,"    Davenport, 

Harry,  277. 
Jefferson,  Joseph,  33,  37,  45> 

88,  239. 
"  Jerseyman,"       Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  125. 
"  Joe    Hurst,     Gentleman," 

Bell,  Digby,  235. 
"  Jolly    Musketeer,"    DeAn- 

gelis,  Jefferson,  237,  238, 

239.  255- 
Jones,  Walter,  54. 
"Josephine     Sold    by    Her 


Index. 


287 


Sister,"  Hopper,  DeWolf, 

80. 
"Julius      Caesar,"      Harlan, 

Otis,  213,  214. 
"  Jupiter,"  Bell,  Digby,  233. 

Karl,  Tom,  186,  187. 

"  Keep  It  Dark,"  Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  128. 
"  King     Cole,"    Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  132. 
Kiralfy,  Irma,  54,  61. 
Klaw  and  Erlanger,  58,  109, 

1 10. 
Koster  and  Bial,  109. 

"  Lady  or  the  Tiger," 

DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 

252. 
Hopper,     DeWolf,    64, 
80,  81,  82,83. 
"  Lady  Slavey," 

Carle,  Richard,  220. 
Daly,  Dan,  58,  170,  171, 

172,  175. 
Davenport,  Harry,  279. 
Jones,  Walter,  58. 
Scott,  Cyril,  273. 
Lawton,  Frank,  218,  219. 
Lederer, George  W.,174,279. 
Leslie,  Amy,  205,  206,  207. 
Lewis,  Catherine,  loi. 
Lewis,  Jeffreys,  125. 
"Lieutenant  Helene,"  Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  197. 
"  Lion    Tamer,"    Wilson, 

Francis,  36,  39,  40. 
"  Little   Corporal,"    Wilson, 

Francis,  40. 
"  I-ittle    Detective,"    Scott, 
Cyril,  271. 


"  Little  Puck," 

Daniels,     Frank,      141, 

143.  '52- 
Harlan,  Otis,  212. 

"  Little     Trooper,"     DeAn- 
gelis, Jefferson,  253. 

"  Little  Tycoon,"  Seabrooke, 
Thomas  Q.,  129. 

"  London  Assurance,"   Wil- 
son, Francis,  29. 

"  Loraine,"      Hopper,      De- 
Wolf,  80. 

"  Lord      Chumley,"      Scott, 
Cyril,  272. 

"  Lost    Paradise,"    Scott, 
Cyril,  272. 

"  Lost,  Strayed,  or  Stolen," 
Scott,  Cyril,  272. 

Lotta,  241,  271. 

"  Luck  of   Roaring  Camp," 
Scott,  Cyril,  272. 

Lyceum  Theatre  Company, 
272. 

Lytell,  W.  H.,  124. 

MacDonald,  Christie,  261. 
MacDonald,     William     H., 

187. 
Mackin,  James,  25,  26,   27, 

28. 
"  Mad     Bargain,"      Powers, 

James  T.,  52. 
"  Madame      Favart,"      Bell, 

Digby,  233. 
Maeder,  Clara  Fisher,  243. 
Maeder,  Fred,  243. 
Maffit,  James  S.,  195. 
"Magic      Kiss"      (see 

"  Wang  "). 
"Maid  of    Plymouth,"  Bar- 

nabee,  H.  C,  187. 


288 


Index. 


"  Maister  of  Woodbarrow," 

Scott,  Cyril,  272. 
"  Mam'selle  'Awkins,"  Carle, 

Richard,  221. 
"  Man    in    the    Moon,"  Ber- 
nard, Sam,  114. 
"  Man    with    a    Hundred 

Heads,"  Dixey,  Henry  E., 

202. 
Manchester,     Robert,     115, 

116. 
Mansfield,  Richard,  271. 
Marion,  George,  214. 
"  Marquis,"    Powers,    James 

T.,  51- 
"  Married    Life,"    Barnabee, 

H.  C,  184. 
"  Mascotte," 

Dixey,   Henry   E.,   196, 

197. 
Golden,  Richard,  96. 
Sykes,  Jerome,  161. 
"  May    Blossom,"     Hopper, 

DeWolf,  75. 
McAuley,  Barney,  125,  126. 
McCaull    Opera     Company, 

20,  31,  32,  64,  80,  89,  148, 

233.  251. 
McClannin,  R.  T.,  183 
McKay,  F.  E.,  68,  76. 
McNally,  John  J.,  no,  in, 

112,  113,  114,  168. 
"  Member  from   Jarvis    Sec- 
tion," Seabrooke,  Thomas 

Q.,  125. 
"  Men  and  Women,"  Scott, 

Cyril,"  272. 
"  Merry     Duchess,"    Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  197. 
"  Merry  Monarch,"   Wilson, 

Francis,  36,  39. 


"  Merry  War," 

Golden,     Richard,     95, 

96,  98. 
Wilson,  Francis,  32. 
"  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor," 

Hopper,  DeWolf,  88. 
"  Merry  World,"  Daly,  Dan, 

175- 
Mestayer,  W.  A.,  55,  174. 
Miaco,  Tom,  108. 
"  Midnight  Bell," 

Bell,  Digby,  225,  234. 
Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 
129,  130,  131,  132. 
"  Mikado," 

Bell,  Digby,  232,  233. 
DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 
252. 
"Miss  McQuilty,"  Daly,  Dan, 

174. 
Mitchell,  Langdon,  190. 
Mitchell,  S.  Weir,  190. 
"  M'liss,"    Wilson,     Francis, 

30- 
Mosher,  Ida,  89. 
"  Mr.      Marconi,"      Harlan, 

Otis,  214. 
"  Mrs.     Partington,"     S  e  a  - 

brooke,  Thomas  Q.,  125. 
Munroe,  George,  56. 
Murphy,  Tim,  211. 
Murray,  J.  K.,  95. 
"  My    Friend    from    India," 

Scott,  Cyril,  272. 

"  Nadjy," 

Powers,  James  T.,  52. 

Wilson,  Francis,  32. 
"  Nanon,"   Wilson,  Francis, 

32- 
Neilsen,  Alice,  99, 


Index. 


289 


"  New  Boy,"  Powers,  James 

T.,  52. 
"  New    Evangeline,"   Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  197. 
"Night    Clerk,"    Dailey, 

Peter  F.,  261. 
"Night  Off,"  Dixey,  Henry 

E.,  204. 
'"97-79,"       Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  125. 
"Nondescripts,"     Dailey, 

Peter  F.,  259,  260. 
Norton,      John      W.,      136, 

137. 
Nuendorf,  Ad.,  125. 

"  Ogalallas,"    Bamabee,    H. 

C,  187. 
"Old    Heads     and    Young 

Hearts,"  Scott,  Cyril.  272. 
"Old  Jed  Prouty,"  Golden, 

Richard,    91,   92,   93,    94, 

97,  98,  100. 
"Oliver  Goldsmith,"  Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  189,   190,  205, 

206,  207. 
"  One      Hundred      Wives," 

Hopper,  DeWolf,  68,  69, 

70,  71.  72,73'  74- 
*'  One  of  the  Finest,"   Sea- 
brooke, Thomas  Q.,  125. 
"  One  Round  of  Pleasure," 
Carle,  Richard,  220,  221. 
Jones,  Walter,  59. 
Rogers    Brothers,    109, 
1 10. 
"  One    Word,"     DeAngelis, 

Jefferson,  243. 
"  Oolah,"    Wilson,   Francis, 

39.  40,  42- 
Ott,  Joe>  220. 


"  Our  Boys," 

DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 

244. 
Hopper,  DeWolf,  68. 
"  Our      Goblins,"       Wilson, 
Francis,  30,  31. 

"  Panjandrum,"  Hopper,  De- 
Wolf,  87. 
"  Papa's  Wife,"  Scott,  Cyril, 

273- 
"  Paper    Doll."    Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q..  1 29. 
"  Passing  Show," 

DeAngelis,      Jefferson, 

252. 
Jones,  Walter,  58. 
Pastor,  Tony,  108,  109. 
"  Patience," 

Bell,  Digby,  233. 
Dixey,  Henry  E.,  196. 
"Pawn  Ticket  210,"  Scott, 

Cyril,  271. 
Perry,  Irene,  105. 
"  Pinafore," 

Barnabee,  H.  C,  186. 
Bell,  Digby,  230. 
Daniels,  Frank,  148. 
Davenport,  Harry,  278. 
Dixey,    Henry   E.,    196, 

197. 
Wilson,  Francis,  31. 
Pixley,  Annie,  30. 
Pomeroy,  Louise,  127,   128, 

251. 
"  Poor     Jonathan,"     DeAn- 
gelis, Jefferson,  252. 
"  Pounce     &    Co.,"    Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  197. 
Powers,  James  T.,  44,    220, 
260. 


290 


Index. 


"  Prince  Ananias,"  Bama- 
bee,  H.  C,  187. 

"  Prince  Karl,"  Scott,  Cyril, 
21. 

"Prince  Methusalem,"  Wil- 
son, Francis,  32. 

"  Princess  Bonnie,"  Daniels, 
Frank,  153. 

"  Princess  Chic,"  Golden, 
Richard,  99. 

"  Princess  Ida,"  DeAngelis, 
Jefferson,  252. 

"  Princess  Nicotine,"  Bell, 
Digby,  233. 

"  Princess  of  Trebizonde," 
Wilson,  Francis,  32. 

"  Prodigal  Daughter,"  De- 
Angelis, Jefferson,  252. 

"Pulse  of  New  York," 
Jones,  Walter,  56,  57. 

"  Queen's  Lace  Handker- 
chief," Wilson,  Francis, 
32- 

"Rag  Baby,"  Daniels,  Frank, 

141,  150,  151. 
"  Rain      Makers,"      Rogers 

Brothers,  109. 
Reed,  Charles,  34. 
"  Reign    of    Error,"    Rogers 

Brothers,  no. 
"  Revels,"  Dixey,  Henry  E., 

196. 
Rice,  Edward  E.,  50,  56,  57, 

58,  19s,  235. 
"  Rivals," 

Hopper,  DeWolf,  88. 
Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 
139- 


"  Robin  Hood," 

Barnabee,  H.  C,  187. 
Sykes,  Jerome,  166. 

"  Robinson  Crusoe,"  Dixey, 
Henry  E.,  196. 

Robson,  May,  105. 

Robson,  Stuart,  205,  207. 

Rogers  Brothers,  107,  116. 

"  Rogers  Brothers  in  Wall 
Street,"  Rogers  Brothers, 
no,  112,  114. 

"Romany  Rye,"  Dixey, 
Henry  E.,  197. 

"Rooms  to  Rent,"  Sea- 
brooke, Thom.as  Q.,  124. 

Rosenfeld,  Sydney,  81,  82. 

Ross,  Charles  J.,  105. 

"  Rounders," 

Daly,  Dan,  169, 170, 171, 

175- 
Davenport,  Harry,  279. 

Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 
119,  139,  140. 
"  Ruddygore,"      DeAngelis, 

Jefferson,  251,  252. 
"  Ruling     Passion,"      S  e  a  - 

brooke,  Thomas  Q.,  125. 
"  Runaway  Girl," 

Powers,    James   T.,  44, 

45'  46,  47.  48,  53- 
Scott,  Cyril,  273. 
Russell,  John,  174. 
Russell,    Lillian,     88,     105, 
139,  167,  233,  253,  254. 


"  Said    Pasha,"    Sykes,    Je- 
rome, 165. 
Salvini,  Tomaso,  77,  78. 
Sanger,  Frank  W.,  28. 
Scott,  Cyril,  265,  269. 


Index. 


291 


Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q.,  1 18, 

215- 

Seaver,  L.  M.,  124. 

"  Serenade,"    Barnabee,    H. 
C,  187. 

"  Serious  Family,"  Barnabee, 
H.  C,  184. 

"  Seven  Ages,"  Dixey,  Henry 
E.,  202. 

"7-20-8,"   Dixey,   Henry  E., 
204,  205. 

Seymour,  William,  275,  276. 

Sharpley,  Sam,  98. 

Sheridan,  William  E  ,  28. 

Sinn,  Colonel,  128. 

"  Sir    Marmaduke,"    Barna- 
bee, H.  C,  184. 

Smith,  Edgar,  105. 

Smith,  Harry  B.,  105. 

"  Society  Fads,"  Daly,  Dan, 
174. 

"  Sonnambula,"  Bell,  Digby, 
227,  228,  229. 

"  Sorcerer," 

Bell,  Digby,  232,  233. 
Dixey,  Henry  E.,  197. 

Sothem,  E.  A.,  45. 

Sothem,  E.  H.,  272. 

"  Sowing  the  Wind,"  Scott, 
Cyril,  272. 

*'  Speculator,"       Seabrooke, 
Thomas  Q.,  139. 

Spenser,  Willard,  129. 

Stange,  Stanislaus,  237,  255. 

Stanley,  Charles,  29. 

"  Star  Gazer,"  Carle,  Rich- 
ard, 220. 

Stetson,     John,     194,     197, 

243- 
Stockton,  Frank,  8i. 
Stone,  Amy,  123. 


Stone,  Henry  F.,  23. 
"  Straight  Tip," 

Carle,  Richard,  220. 
Dailey,    Peter    F.,    260. 

261. 
Powers,  James  T.   52. 
"  Stranger   in    New    York," 

Harlan,  Otis,  215. 
Stromberg,  John,  105. 
Sullivan,  Arthur,    154,    155, 

184,  251. 
Sullivan,  James  E.,  218. 
Sully,  Daniel,  115. 
"  Sweet    Lavender,"    Scott, 

Cyril,  272. 
Sykes,  Jerome,  154. 

Talor,  Jay,  95. 

"Tar     and     Tartar,"     Bell, 

Digby,  233. 
Tempest,  Marie,  166. 
Templeton  Opera  Company, 

159. 
"Ten  Nights  in  a  Barroom," 

Seabrooke,    Thomas    Q., 

126. 
"  Texas  Steer,"  Harlan,  Otis, 

214. 
Thatcher,  George,  214. 
Thomas,  Augustus,  189,  190, 

205,  235. 
Thompson,  Denman,  130. 
Thompson,  Lydia,  102. 
"  Thoroughbred,"    Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  205. 
"Three   Dragoons,"   Sykes, 

Jerome,  167. 
"  Tin  Soldier," 

Powers,  James  T.,  51. 
Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 
128. 


292 


Index. 


"  Tobasco,"     Harlan,    Otis, 
215. 

Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 

"35.  136- 
"Tourist,"     Jones,    Walter, 

"  Trial    by    Jury,"    Daniels, 

Frank,  148. 
Twain,  Mark,  96. 
"  Twelfth     Night,"     Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  203,  204. 
"Twentieth    Century   Girl," 

Daly,  Dan,  175. 
"Two  Bad  Men,"  Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  126,  127. 
"  Two  Cadis,"  Barnabee,  H. 

C,  184. 
"  Two    Roses,"    DeAngelis, 

Jefferson,  244. 
"Tzigane,"  DeAngelis,  Jef- 
ferson, 253. 

"  U  and  I,"  Sykes,  Jerome, 

166. 
"Under  the  Gaslight,"  Dixey, 

Henry  E.,  194. 
"  United  States  Mail,"  Jones, 

Walter,  56. 
"  Upside  Down,"  Daly,  Dan, 

168,  169,  170,  174. 

"Vacation,"  Daly,  Dan,  169, 
174. 

"  Very  Little  Faust  and  Too 
Much  Marguerite,"  Har- 
lan, Otis,  216. 

"Vice  Versa"  (see  "Little 
Puck  "). 

"  Viceroy,"  Barnabee,  H.  C, 
187. 


"  Virginia  Mummy,"  Wilson, 

Francis,  23. 
Vokes  Family,  51. 
Vokes,  Fred,  150. 

"  Walker,  London,"  Powers, 

James  T.,  52,  53. 
"  Wall   Street  Bandit,"  Sea- 
brooke, Thomas  Q.,  128. 
Wallack,  J.  W.,  274. 
"  Wang  "  (see  "  King  Cole  "), 

Hopper,  DeWolf,  87. 
Warfield,  David,  105. 
Warren,  William,  45,  183. 
"  We,  Us,  and  Co.,"  Jones, 

Walter,  55. 
Weber  and  Fields,  66,  102, 

114,  116,  117,  258,  261. 
Weber,  Joseph,  102. 
"Wedding  Day,"  DeAngelis, 

Jefferson,  254,  255. 
Western,  Lucille,  274. 
Wheeler,  "  Punch,"  160,  161, 

162,  163,  164,  165. 
"  Whirl-I-Gig,"   Weber   and 

Fields,  105,  106,  107. 
Whitney,  Myron,  186. 
"  Whittington  and  His  Cat," 

Powers,  James  T.,  51. 
"  Widow  Bedot,"  Seabrooke, 

Thomas  Q.,  124. 
"Widow  Jones,"  Dai  ley, 

Peter  F.,  261. 
Wilbur  Opera  Company, 

159- 

"  Wild  Oats,"  Wilson,  Fran- 
cis, 29. 

Wiley,  Dora,  95,  100,  101. 

Williams,  Fritz,  265. 

Williams,  Gus,  125. 

Williams,  Harry,  109. 


Index. 


293 


Wills,  Frank,  122. 

Wilson,     Francis,     18,     51, 

139- 

Winter,  William,  34. 

"  Wizard  of  the  Nile," 
Daniels,  Frank,  143,  153. 

Woolf,  Benjamin,  184. 

"World,"  Seabrooke, 
Thomas  Q.,  127. 

"  World  of  Trouble,"  Sea- 
brooke, Thomas  Q.,  139. 

Wright,  George,  96. 


Wyndham,  Charles,  265. 

"  Yankee  Doodle  Dandy," 
Carle,  Richard,  221. 
Seabrooke,  Thomas  Q., 

139- 
"  Yeoman    of    the   Guard," 

Powers,  James  T.,  52. 
"  Younger    Son,"    Scott, 

Cyril,  272. 

Zangwill,  Israel,  221,  222. 


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